Guide to growing garden plants - Caladium (Angel wings)
Members of the Caladium genus are half hardy perennials but are normally grown as annuals by gardeners.
They are also known by the names Angel wings, Elephant's ear and Mother in law plant.
Caladium plants can reach a height of 60cm and are grown by gardeners who prize their leaves, which are often striped red, green or silver.
Caladium plants do not flower.
How to grow Caladiums (Angel wings)
If planning to grow Caladium then it is best to grow from tubers, these should be buried at a depth of 5cm in the spring. If you have seeds they normally take one to three months to germinate at a temperature of 24 to 29 degrees Celsius.
Seeds should be fresh and once sown lightly covered with topsoil. Caladium plant Seedlings should then be put out with a spacing of around 20cm into a rich acidic soil in a sunny part of the garden.
Caring for Caladium plants in the garden
Caladium care is pretty simple: plants need to be watered regularly during the summer. In very cold areas it may be necessary to remove angel wings tubers (Caladium) out of the soil and take indoors (store in sand) at the end of autumn to protect them from deep frost.