SWEETHEART PASSION RECIPE
Lush, tropical caladiums are perfect for bringing that “vacation vibe” to your deck or patio containers in the summertime, even if you live in a hot, steamy climate. They thrive in the summer heat, and since many Heart to Heart caladiums grow in both sun and shade, they’ll go anywhere you need a bright splash of fun foliage. Here, we’ve paired two strap leaf and fancy leaf varieties in our Sweetheart Passion recipe.
*Easiest in part sun (4-6 hours of sun) but grows well in both sun and shade.
Heart to Heart® ‘Heart and Soul’ Caladium
Like many caladiums, the colors in the long, wavy leaves of this strap leaf variety change a bit through the seasons. A green edge outlines the white leaves which may be flushed with a little or a lot of pinkish red speckles depending on the time of year and the maturity of each individual leaf. It’s a fascinating plant to observe and makes a perfect pairing with the more intense red Fast Flash caladium.
Heart to Heart® Fast Flash™ Caladium
The larger, smooth-edged, broad heart-shaped leaves of this variety provide beautiful textural contrast to its planting partner, ‘Heart and Soul’. Though its spring leaves tend to be narrower and cherry red, its summer foliage is larger and deeper scarlet with an emerald green edge. Together, the pink, scarlet and green tones of these tropical caladiums bring a feeling of warmth and exuberance to container plantings.
option 1:
plant the sweetheart passion recipe
3x fast flash™
3x ‘heart and soul’
Tip For Success:
This recipe assumes one bulb per plant. If you purchase a larger pot of caladiums, gently separate the bulbs and arrange them like you see here in the container recipe layout. When the plants are young, they don’t like the soil to dry out but once they are established, less water is needed. It’s important to wait until the temperature is consistently above 60°F before moving your potted caladiums outdoors. Find more caladium growing tips here.
option 2:
starting with bulbs
You might prefer to start with caladium bulbs if you have a long growing season, enjoy the experience of growing a plant from a dormant bulb, or are not looking for instant impact. For this recipe, you’ll need three bulbs of each variety. Sink each bulb 1.5 to 2” deep, painted side up. They should sprout in 6 to 8 weeks and may be started ahead indoors.
option 3:
starting with potted plants
Start with potted caladiums if you live where the growing season is short or if you don’t want to wait 6 to 8 weeks for their foliage to sprout. Gently remove the plant from the pot. If there is more than one bulb, separate and arrange them according to the layout pictured here. For this recipe, you will need a total of six bulbs, three per variety.
Shop for individual plants.
Shop for the Sweetheart Passion recipe.
