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Heart to Heart® 'Bottle Rocket' Sun or Shade Caladium Caladium hortulanum

Exposure
  • Sun or Shade
Flower Season
  • Spring
  • Summer
Mature Size
20" 14" 51cm 36cm
Height: 15" - 20"
Spread: 10" - 14"
Height: 38cm - 51cm
Spread: 25cm - 36cm
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  • Details

    15 - 20 Inches
    10 - 14 Inches
    10 - 14 Inches
    38cm - 51cm
    25cm - 36cm
    25cm - 36cm

    Features

    'Bottle Rocket' is a fancy leaf variety with a bright red center and primary veins, white panes and a green margin. It can be grown in both sun and shade conditions. Caladiums are also generally considered to be houseplants where they prefer bright light or a sunny window.

    Caladiums can be an irritant if ingested. The ASPCA has more information on which plants may be harmful.

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    Adaptable As Houseplant
    Foliage Interest
    Heat Tolerant
    Deadheading Not Necessary
    Resists: 
    Deer

    Characteristics

    Plant Type: 
    Annual
    Height Category: 
    Medium
    Garden Height: 
    15 - 20 Inches 38cm - 51cm
    Spacing: 
    10 - 14 Inches 25cm - 36cm
    Spread: 
    10 - 14 Inches 25cm - 36cm
    Foliage Colors: 
    Green
    Foliage Colors: 
    Pink
    Foliage Colors: 
    White
    Foliage Shade: 
    Green and White base with Hot Pink Veins
    Habit: 
    Upright
    Container Role: 
    Thriller

    Plant Needs

    Light Requirement: 
    Sun or Shade

    The optimum amount of sun or shade each plant needs to thrive: Full Sun (6+ hours), Part Sun (4-6 hours), Full Shade (up to 4 hours).

    Maintenance Category: 
    Easy
    Bloom Time: 
    Grown for Foliage
    Hardiness Zones: 
    10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
    Water Category: 
    Average
    Uses: 
    Border Plant
    Uses: 
    Container
    Uses: 
    Landscape
    Uses: 
    Mass Planting
    Uses Notes: 

    Great in landscapes and containers and will grow well in sun and shade locations. They can also be grown indoors as a houseplant where bright light or a sunny window is preferred.

    Maintenance Notes: 

    Caladiums can be an irritant if ingested. The ASPCA has more information on which plants may be harmful.

    Indoors:

    Caladiums can be a very nice windowsill or sunroom plant and for much of the United States and certainly in Canada this might be the best use for Caladiums. Since they are tropical they need to have warmth and humidity, try to always keep the temperatures above 65 F for best growth and leaf size, and a pebble tray or frequent misting can help to keep humidity up around your plants. If you live in a northern climate, be careful not to plant too early in spring as temperatures below 50F will chill and stunt plants, normal indoor temperatures should be fine and winter heaters usually dry things out a bit too much. So this can be a good guide for when to grow these Caladiums, when you turn the heater off for the summer.

    Plant tubers pointed end facing upwards, so the tuber is about 2” below the soil level, the roots form on the top of the tuber , so you need to plant them deep enough that roots have room to grow, but not too deep because it delays new leaves and weakens the plant. If your plants are already growing in pots when you purchase them, plant them about ½” deeper when you transplant them to make sure the tubers have room to keep growing.

    Caladiums do not need a lot of fertilizer, about ¼ of what most folks feed their flowering annuals, and too much fertilizer can burn the leaves especially the white portions of the leaf. So just fertilize with ¼ the strength what you normally do for your flowers and apply weekly or every other week.

    Keep plants in a sunny to partly sunny location and avoid burning hot southern exposures especially at higher altitudes.

    Keep soil in your pots moist at all times, wilting will cause leaves to yellow and drop, so just check to make they do not dry out!

    Outdoors:

    Since Caladiums prefer heat and humidity and do not tolerate cold, soggy soils, for most gardeners who live in the north will have best results in containers, as the soil in pots or planters warms up faster and has better drainage so plants will not become soggy. Remember for best growth always keep the temperatures above 65 F.

    A ¼ - ½ strength fertilizing every week or every other week is fine throughout the season, too strong a fertilizer can burn leaves, and since the leaves last all season you want to keep them looking fresh. Caladiums like to be moist at all times so avoid allowing them to dry out as it also causes leaves to yellow and drop.

    Where the Caladiums will do best depends a lot on your location within the US, since sunlight intensity varies depending on where you live here’s a quick reference to help guide to help you succeed.

    Region

    When to Plant

    Sun or Shade

    Containers or in the garden

    NW & NE United States & Canada

    Early summer

    Full sun - light shade.

    Caladiums do best in containers in this part of the country and usually need to be in a protected warm location for best results. Like a sunroom or warm patio setting. If growing outdoors select the warmest protected locations in the garden.

    SW United States

    Spring

    shade to light shade only

    Containers may be easiest but a shady, cool garden spot can also be lovely. Watch your watering to keep the plants from drying out. 

    Midwest

    Late Spring

    Light shade

    Containers are likely best, but a late spring planting into a protected shade flower bed will also be fine.

    SE United States

    Spring

    Shade to sun

    Both containers and garden plantings work fine, in the deep south Caladiums may even come back the following year if kept dry over the winter.

    Heart to Heart® 'Bottle Rocket' Caladium hortulanum USPP 30,651
  • 2 Reviews

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    Browse reviews from people who have grown this plant.
    • Beautiful plant and super easy to care for. This is my first year planting Caladiums and am wondering what took me so long....so beautiful. I have this is my shade garden and it adds the perfect pop of color!

      Becky
      , Michigan
      , United States
      , 4 years ago
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    2022 Top Performer Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
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