So, here’s a plant I wholeheartedly support. Caladiums are show-stoppers, with some of the most appealing foliage of any deer-resistant annual. Caladiums produce heart-shaped leaves in a magnificent array of hues and variegations in partial to full shade. When you have leaves like these, who needs flowers? I’ve been growing caladiums in my shade containers for years, and every season I try a few different varieties; I’ve yet to encounter a caladium that I don’t enjoy! They’re perennial in tropical climes, but they’re grown as annuals in the north. In the fall, dig out the tuber and store it in a peat moss box in the garage.
What is eating my caladium leaves?
Wildlife pests of caladiums include squirrels, chipmunks, voles, rabbits, and deer. Even if caladiums are put in containers, squirrels, chipmunks, and voles dig up tubers to eat. Digging activity is discouraged and tubers are inaccessible by layering chicken wire or hardware cloth in the planting holes below caladium tubers and also on the soil surface above caladium tubers. Deer and rabbits feed on fragile new shoots. Their presence is difficult to manage unless you can keep them out by enclosing your garden in a fence.
What plants do deer hate the most?
Deer-Resistant Plants (24 of them)
- Marigold (French Marigold) (Tagetes) French marigolds are a favorite of gardeners globally since they come in a rainbow of vibrant hues and bloom for a long time.
Is a caladium an annual or perennial?
Caladiums are tropical perennials with colorful, heart-shaped leaves that are endemic to wet and dry tropical forests in South and Central America. Caladium bicolor, a Brazilian plant, is the most common of several decorative species of the genus Caladium in the arum family (Araceae). This species (also described as C. x hortulanum) has thousands of identified cultivars, but other species and hybrids are occasionally accessible. They are easy to cultivate as summer “bulbs” or houseplants, even though they are only hardy to zones 9 and 10.
Other popular names for caladium are angels wings and elephant ears (but don’t mix them with other plants with the common name elephant ears, such as Alocasia, Colocasia, and Xanthosoma).
This is a “old-fashioned” shrub with striking leaves that has been cultivated in Europe since the late 1700s. The leaves have strongly colored midribs, contrasting borders, and mottled, veined, and striped patterns in varying colors of green, white, pink, rose, and/or red. The leaves are carried on long petioles that emerge directly from the underground tuber; there are no stems.
The fancy-leaved kinds, with their huge, heart-shaped or semi-heart-shaped leaves on long petioles (12 to 30 inches tall), are more compact than the strap- or lance-leaved types, which have shorter and narrower, ruffle-edged leaves on short petioles (usually less than 12 inches tall). The fancy-leaved forms have more leaves per tuber than the lance-leaved types (derived from C.picturantum).
Caladiums can bloom, producing a single (rarely 2-3) characteristic arum-type flower with a green or pinkish spathe encircling a short white spadix, despite being grown as foliage plants. White berries with a few to many seeds make up the fruits. Most people remove the inflorescence because it depletes the plant’s energy, which could otherwise be utilized to grow more leaves or a larger tuber.
Caladiums can be used to give color and texture to shadow gardens as well as deck and patio pots.
For maximum impact, plant them in realistic clusters of a single cultivar, or mix and match for a multi-colored effect in smaller spaces. To create colorful fountains, combine them with ferns, astilbe, and shade-tolerant iris, or intersperse them with other shade-loving plants. Impatiens or fuchsias with flowers in similar or contrasting colors are a good match.
Choose coleus or begonia varieties that compliment each other for a season-long display of color and texture in the leaf. As a stunning specimen plant and focal point in a flower bed, use a single, big plant in a raised pot or urn. Combine caladium with green or black elephant ears for a tropical appearance. The lance-leaved varieties are ideal for window boxes and smaller containers. In fresh flower arrangements, chopped leaves can keep for several days.
Caladiums have a tuberous corm that they grow from. Tubers come in a variety of sizes dependent on their diameter. The more leaf buds a tuber has, the more foliage it produces, hence bigger tubers yield more foliage. A huge, center bud is surrounded by multiple tiny buds on each tuber (eyes). The greatest leaves will come from the central bud, but it will also prevent the smaller buds from sprouting. By gouging off the main, center bud with the tip of a sharp knife, you can stimulate the small buds to grow and create more slightly smaller leaves. Just make sure you don’t hurt any of the nearby little buds.
Start caladium tubers inside 4-6 weeks before the average last frost date in the Midwest, or buy potted plants. Place the knobby side of the tuber with the eyes up (both roots and shoots come from the top of the tuber) and just cover it with dirt. Keep the container in a brightly lit, warm area (70°F or higher). After the final frost, move the growing plants outside either in pots above ground or buried into the earth, or transplant into the ground so the tuber is 11/2″- 2 deep. Because they prefer a wet, rich, light, and well-drained soil, most soils should be amended with plenty of compost or other organic material. It is frequently preferable to keep them in containers rather than planting them in the ground in locations with heavy soils.
Low temperatures will injure tubers and plants, and plants will not grow much until temps warm up, so don’t rush to move them out. They thrive in soil temperatures of at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and planting them in chilly soil will cause the tubers to rot. Because high soil temperatures alter leaf color, plants in hot regions should be mulched to keep soil temperatures below 85°F.
Traditional varieties thrive in part-shade conditions. They will grow in full shade, but their vitality and color will suffer. Many newer, sun-resistant types, especially in cooler, northern climates, may be grown in part to full sun. Ensure that the soil is kept evenly moist but not damp throughout the growing season.
Caladiums are heavy feeders and, especially in containers, require regular fertilizing during the growing season. Because too much nitrogen can damage leaf color, choose a low-nitrogen or balanced formulation.
Caladiums thrive in the hot, humid summer months, but when the weather cools, they begin to droop and lose leaves. Tubers must be brought in before the first frost in temperate zones if they are to be retained during the winter (or before soil temperatures drop below 55oF). Lift any tubers in the ground, remove most of the soil, and dry for a week in a warm, shady location before cutting off the leaves and storing for up to five months in dry sphagnum moss or a mesh bag in mild temperatures (55-60oF). Tubers in containers can be carried inside for the winter and left undisturbed in the pots. As the leaves die back, allow the growing media to dry up. The containers can be kept in either light or darkness, but the temperature should never go below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. When new growth sprouts in the spring, start watering again.
As a houseplant, give a warm environment with plenty of humidity and bright but indirect light. Caladiums will go dormant after a few months in leaf, even if they are grown inside. Stop watering them when their leaves begin to wilt. Allow the plant to rest before watering it again after new growth appears.
Caladiums are mostly pest-free, especially in the north. Tuber rot, which can occur in storage or after planting, is most common in cool weather and can be avoided by following proper storage and planting techniques. Too much sun, not enough water, or fertilizer sitting on the leaves causes leaf burn or scorch on thin-leaved varieties. Caladiums can be propagated by separating tubers in the spring before potting them up. Allow the tuber to dry for a few days to callous over before planting; cut the tuber into pieces that have at least one eye or knob. If enough of the plant is consumed, it is poisonous, and handling the plants can irritate the skin of sensitive people.
Caladium cultivars come in thousands of varieties; these are only a few of the most popular.
Do deer eat impatiens?
Impatiens (Impatiens spp.) are frequently targeted by deer, and they have been known to do significant harm to these lovely flowering annuals. Near the impatiens, plant flowers that deer despise, such as annual floss flower (Ageratum houstonianum) or herb mint (Mentha spp., USDA zones 4 to 9).
Are hydrangea deer resistant?
Hydrangeas aren’t a deer’s favorite flower in general. Hydrangeas, on the other hand, are neither deer resistant nor deer proof. Taking extra precautions to keep deer from eating your lovely shrubs isn’t difficult, and it shouldn’t keep you from trying to plant hydrangeas in your garden.
Do marigolds repel deer?
Because of their strong, pungent aroma, deer are put off by all types of marigolds. Signet marigolds, on the other hand, have a brighter lemony scent and flavor, making them popular in the kitchen.
How do I keep deer from eating my plants?
Use the fact that deer have a good sense of smell to your advantage. The use of strongly scented chemicals is one efficient approach to keep deer out of your garden. Deodorant soap bars are the most common deterrents. Simply punch a hole in numerous bars of soap and use twine to hang the soap bars from the trees and fencing surrounding your garden. Deer will avoid your fields if they smell the soap.
Many other deer deterrents rely on odor as well, and their overall success is dependent on how long the grazers take to adjust to the new odours. It’s very uncommon for these strategies to be just momentarily effective deterrents, so you’ll have to be on the lookout and alter things up every few days to stay one step ahead of them. Spreading bloodmeal, decomposing fish heads, and garlic around your garden plants are some of these deterrents.
You can also get some organic deer repellent from your neighborhood nursery. Make certain you’re utilizing only a natural version, and that it’s safe to use among edible plants. Deer are also deterred from eating plants by scents used in these repellents.