Carolyn Whorton Caladium (Caladium x hortulanum 'Carolyn Whorton')
kah-LAY-dee-um ex hortulanum 'Carolyn Whorton'

Deciduous Perennial (usually grown as an annual near you)
 

About Elephant Ears

If you’re looking for a big, bold pop of contrast and color, look no further than this beauty. Because she is native to tropical areas, Caladium acts as an annual in Chicago gardens, but what she lacks in longevity she makes up for with her red, pink, green, and white highly-contrasted foliage. 

Some Caladiums may produce greenish-white flowers, which are usually pruned to allow all of the plant’s energy to go to that show-stopping foliage.

Caladium does best as a container plant, as she does not tolerate cold, soggy soils. She can thrive in hot, dry, sunny areas of the garden, but is extremely sensitive to cold and would prefer to never get below 65°F.

Pros

Thrives in hot, sunny conditions

Gorgeous, high-contrast foliage

Bright, bold colors

Cons

Annual

Does not tolerate cold, soggy soils

 

Plant Data

Sun Exposure Full Shade - Partial Shade
Tags Annual in Chicago, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Full Shade, Grown For Attractive Foliage, Partial Shade, Perennial, Rabbit Resistant, Shade Tolerant, Tender Perennial, Thrillers, Tropical
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Pricing and Availability History

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Limited Availability

We try very hard to source exactly what you’d like, but sometimes growers run out of plants! While this variety is a great deal at the price shown, we know that it has limited availability. If you want the plant even if it might be more expensive, or in a different size or quantity -- after you place your order, just send us a quick note at help@northshoreplantclub.com. Then, we’ll try to get you some version of this from one of our growers. And if we can’t get it from anywhere, of course, we’ll send a refund!


Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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About Ordering From The Plant Club

To secure the best prices for club members and make sure we know the current plants available from each nursery, we take orders only a couple of times a month.

Shoot us an email at help@northshoreplantclub.com, and we'll be happy to talk about plants or let you know when it's time to buy them!


No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!