Storing Caladiums In Winter

Q: Do I have to dig up caladiums to store for winter if I’m in zone 8a?

A: It is good exercise but it’s rarely worth the trouble. It’s hard to get them to grow big enough in summer to make it worth your while to keep them over winter. Dig a few and check the size of the corms. If they aren’t at least the size they were when you planted them they won’t produce the leaf size you remember. Moreover, in spring it will take several weeks for them to overcome dormancy after you plant them. By June you’ll be envious of the pretty leaves on the caladiums at your local garden center when your caladium leaves are still puny. All this is true because caladiums are tropical bulbs. In the continuously warm soil of south Florida caladium farms, they don’t go dormant. The beautiful foliage and attached corms can be harvested and potted anytime for shipment to Atlanta.