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Do Caladiums Come Back? Are Caladiums Perennials? (Answered)

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Whenever it comes to decorating your garden or house with colorful plants, you might have thought of caladiums. Caladiums are pretty popular for their leaves’ unique shapes. That’s why people also call these plants elephant ears.

So, you might also want to grow caladiums in your garden. But you might be confused about whether caladiums come back or not. Moreover, you might want to know whether caladiums are perennials or not.

Well, you have to know details about this plant to grow them properly. Moreover, knowing the growth rate and behavior of this plant is essential.

Do caladiums come back?

Caladiums come back every year. Generally, caladiums grow from bulbs. But these plants can’t survive in the winter well. So, the tubers get damaged in the winter. So, you can plant caladiums after winter and in the spring. But after every winter, caladiums come back in a warmer climate.

Generally, caladiums are tuberous plants that grow in specific seasons. For example, caladiums can’t bear the cold temperature in the winter. So, if the caladiums are grown already before winter, the tubers will get damaged or weak in the cold season.

But in the spring, the cold is reduced. So, spring is one of the best times for growing caladiums. If you want to grow caladiums, you can choose the time couple of weeks before the winter starts. In the meanwhile, the tubers will get enough time to develop.

Generally, caladiums are perfect to grow at a warmer temperature. So, spring will be the best season to plant caladiums. The grown-up bulb will help to regrow the caladiums again.

So, the caladiums will grow from the bulb every year. Sometimes, you might see that caladiums are weak and damaged in cold weather. But you will also see that caladiums are regrown at a warmer temperature. That means caladiums will come back every year.

Are caladiums perennials?

Caladiums are tropical perennials. Generally, caladiums come back every year and grow well in the spring or summer. Caladiums will be alive after two or more seasons because of their perennial nature. Though caladiums become weak in winter, they will regrow when the cold is reduced.

Whenever it comes to perennial plants, you have to know the meaning of perennial plants and their behaviors. Generally, a perennial plant means a plant that can live more than three growing seasons. So, a perennial plant will regrow every year.

Perennial plants might not grow a flower or spread foliage in specific seasons. But when they get suitable seasons, they will grow flowers and foliage again.

Now if you compare the features of perennial plants, you will see that caladiums also have the same features. Caladiums generally grow at an excellent rate in the spring and summer. They grow from bulbs that are developed at a comparatively warmer temperature.

So, every winter, they might not grow that well. But when spring comes, caladiums will regrow. These characteristics make caladiums perfectly perennial plants. Moreover, with proper care, you can make caladiums healthy in the winter season too.

How long do caladiums bloom?

Caladium plants bloom in their suitable season and weather. For example, if you plant caladium in the winter, the plant will not grow well at a cold temperature. So, caladiums will also not bloom in winter.

Generally, caladium plants bloom from spring to autumn. That means these plants will bloom between spring to autumn time. This time range is a suitable time for blooming.

Generally, caladium blooms are pretty different in shape and will be green or pink in color. You will get to see the blooms for 2 to 4 months in the spring to the autumn season.

Do caladiums survive winter?

Yes, caladiums survive winter. Generally, it is hard for caladiums to survive in the winter because of the cold weather. The tubers of caladiums might get damaged in excessively cold weather.

But in general, caladiums should survive winter. Caladium plants are in the winter hardy to USDA zone 9. That means caladiums are supposed to be alive in the winter season.

But when the cold temperature reduces, caladiums regrow in the spring. Moreover, caladiums are perennials that come back every year. So, caladiums survive the winter season and come back in every growing season.

What temperature can caladium tolerate?

A caladium plant can tolerate temperatures as low as 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Generally, caladium plants will grow well at a temperature of more than 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Moreover, 70 degrees Fahrenheit is suitable for the daytime for caladiums.

But when the temperature falls at the night, caladium plants can tolerate the temperature up to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. You might know that caladium faces difficulties in the winter. They might not grow well in cold temperatures. But they will survive.

That’s why a caladium can tolerate a low temperature up to 45 degrees Fahrenheit. But if you want to grow caladium plants perfectly, you can try to keep them at 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

What month do caladiums come back?

Generally, caladiums come back from September to mid-October. These months of the year are the perfect time when caladiums will regrow. So, if you want to grow caladiums healthy, you need to prepare, dig, and store the caladiums from late September to mid-October.

In the winter, the tubers of the caladiums don’t remain in a healthy state. So, if you store and plant caladiums at this time, the plants will not come back well. But if you plant and store them at a healthy stage in spring, the plants will grow well.

So, if you want to store or plant caladiums, September and October will be the suitable months. In this time, caladiums will come back too.

How long do caladium bulbs last?

Generally, caladium bulbs last more than one year. You might know that caladiums are perennial plants. That means caladium will last more than two or three growing seasons.

Caladiums grow from their bulbs. So, bulbs are pretty essential for caladiums to remain healthy and grown.

Caladiums can also survive the winter. So, the bulbs might get weak in the winter. But the bulbs are pretty strong to survive in the winter. That’s why caladium bulbs will last for a long time.

Moreover, when the caladium bulbs last a long time, the plant will also last a long time. That’s why caladium plants are perennials.

How to overwinter caladiums?

Overwintering means taking care of a plant so that the plant can survive in the winter. Moreover, in the winter, the caladiums will remain healthy if you overwinter the plant. So, let’s see how you can overwinter caladiums.

Overwintering in the ground:

You can overwinter the caladium bulbs in the ground. For doing this, you have to leave the bulbs in the ground when the winter season comes. This will let the bulbs survive in the winter whereas the leaves might not be alive. But the bulbs will survive.

Moreover, when you water the caladiums, you need to ensure the optimum amount. Otherwise, over-watering might damage the roots.

Overwintering in pots:

You can also overwinter caladiums in pots. You need to keep them indoors in the winter season. Generally, you have to ensure that the temperature should be more than 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

If the temperature gets lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit, it will be hard for caladiums to survive. So, try to keep them in a warm and dry place in your house. Moreover, ensure that the container is dry and don’t water the plants in the winter.

Storing caladium:

Another popular way of overwintering the caladium bulbs is to store them before cold weather comes. Generally, at the beginning of winter, when the temperature is more than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, you need to dig the caladium.

You have to dig and pull out the whole plant with the bulb. Then you have to store them so that the plant doesn’t get damaged in cold weather.

Final Thoughts

Caladiums come back since they are perennial plants. That means caladium plants will come back every year after winter. Generally, caladiums don’t like winter or cold. So, they regrow in the spring or autumn season. So, try to grow caladiums in the spring and overwinter them in the winter season.

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