• Caladiums come in a variety of foliage shapes and colors.caladium image by Unclesam from Fotolia.com
  
  Caladium is a plant native to South America and grows best in temperatures of 65 degrees and above. Caladiums are easy to grow and maintain and have a variety of uses in landscaping, including their use as groundcovers and as border plants. The plants are propagated from bulbs planted directly in the soil after all danger of frost has passed. In temperatures below 60 degrees, Caladium bulbs are likely to be damaged, resulting in dwarfed foliage . There are many advantages to planting caladiums. (Reference 1)
  
  

Variety of Color

• The June Bride variety of caladiums features white foliage with stark green margins.caladium image by Allyson Ricketts from Fotolia.com
  
  Caladiums are favored for the wide variations of their foliage colors, which include different shades of pink, red, white, yellow-green and green. The foliage of caladiums has brightly colored midribs and margins that contrast with the dominant foliage color. The Florida Fantasy caladium has white leaves with red veins, the Fannie Munson has pink foliage with red veins with hints of light green, the Gypsy Rose has pink veins on green splashes, and the June Bride caladium is white with stark green margins. (Reference 2)
  
  

Foliage Shapes

• Fancy foliage caladiums have heart-shaped leaves.feuille de caladium image by Unclesam from Fotolia.com
  
  Caladiums also have wide variations in the shapes of their foliage. The two basic caladium cultivars are fancy and strap-leaved. The fancy foliage varieties have large, semi-heart-shaped or heart-shaped foliages on long petioles, or stalks, that connect the leaves to the plant's stem. In contrast to this, the foliage of the lance or strap-leaved cultivars is thicker, narrower and elongated and is borne on shorter petioles. The lance-shaped varieties of caladium have a more compact growth structure and have more leaves on each tuber, compared to the fancy-leaved cultivars. The fancy-leaved varieties grow to a mature height of 1 to 2.5 feet, while the majority of the strap-leaved caladiums are less than a foot in height. So there is a suitable caladium variety for every landscaping or indoor-gardening purpose. (Reference 2)
  
  

Variation in Growing Locations

• Caladiums grow easily in professional greenhouses, in outdoor landscapes and as indoor plants. Caladiums are popular as accent plants in hanging baskets. Caladiums thrive in moist, well drained soil and have a low fertilizer requirement. The plants grow well in full sun and partial sun locations, although some brighter-leaved caladiums tend to lose some of their bright shades when grown in shade. Bright-colored caladiums can be used to brighten the shady areas of a landscape. According to the University of Florida Extension website, there are few plants that can match the beauty and versatility of caladiums. (Reference 3)