Are there any Caladiums that will tolerate full, blazing hot sun next to a brick wall?

It may be possible to grow Caladiums in direct, intense sun but I think they would need adequate daily water to keep the soil and roots consistently moist.

@Caladiums4Less - Bill, are you around? I'd love to know the answer to this question as well. Here in Florida I grow Caladiums in morning sun because I find the mid day and intense afternoon sun tends to wash them out and totally fry them.

I googled and found this article of interest from LSU: http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/...

Thanks for the link Lin .. Sounds hopeful.

Not really an issue in Massachusetts where many Caladium can handle more sun. I've wondered about a way to track those Caladium which are more tolerant of southern sun.

I grow the "full sun" ones in full sun with no problems!

Anne, as Lin says at the very least, the more sun-tolerant Caladiums will not have as intense colors in sun as they do in shade.

I experimented with some cheap bulbs from Costco a few years ago, and the difference was astonishing. Not only did the ones in the sun need a lot more water to hold up, the colors were very different. I think it's because the plants need to make more chlorophyll in the shade, so there is much more green and more contrast.

These are a couple of sun vs. shade pics from 2012: the variety is Carolyn Wharton in both pictures. The pink areas wanted to burn, and would turn brownish rather quickly in the sun.

Wow! They look totally different!

Yup, The second one is in deep shade under my mango tree. I'm going on a Caladium hunt later to see if it's still there . . . and what color it is now!

On the Caladiums4Less site, he never lists "full sun" for any of his varieties, I noticed. They all say "sun tolerant". My feeling is, any caladium that will grow in full sun will do better and look nicer in some shade through the middle of the day, especially here in FL. Of course, in summer it often clouds over in the afternoons anyway, which helps them all without gardener input.

The last two I bought at Lowe's recently (which I think are White Wings) say "Full Sun" on the label. They were indeed sitting on a display table in full sun at the store, but since I brought them home, they've been in the shade of my little fig tree in the afternoons. I think they look much nicer now.


These two are again Carolyn Whorton, both in the same pot. First leaf is getting some sun, second not as much.

I just moved a basket full into full sun .. we'll see what happens over the next few weeks.

That LSU site gives a list of their test plants that did well in both shade and sun in Louisiana: http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/...

When I talk about the sun it's the afternoon sun that can be tough on some of the different varieties. Morning sun is OK as it's not a real hot sun!! The ideal conditions would be if you had a spot that got sun from sunrise to about 10 - 10:30. That way the plants are getting all the different rays the sun puts off but it's not going to be hot enough to burn them. Red Flash and Carolyn Whorton are the most sun tolerant varieties we grow. They can handle sun all day long. They will look nicer though if they're out of the PM sun. A variety like Moonlight or Fannie Munson isn't going to fair very well, especially Fannie Munson. She has a real thin leaf that will burn!!

I'm pleased to report that after a week in full, blazing hot sun, the basket of Caladiums look no worse for wear. The only difference I see is that the color in full sun is not quite as intense as full shade.

The first picture is Full Sun and the 2nd Full Shade

I don't what type they planted but our local gas station/convenience store has a type of Caladium planted in their landscaping in full sun next to a very busy road. They only run the sprinklers once during the evening hours.