12 
AZALEA GARDENS, SEEKING, FLA. 
The same soil should not be used the second time, but clean all dead 
roots and tops from the bulbs when ready to start again, and pro¬ 
ceed as before. 
CALADIUMS AND SUNLIGHT 
Going slightly into a technical subject, we would say that color 
of any kind in a leaf is due to the presence in that leaf of certain cell 
structures or tissues, each of which reflects ONLY a certain color 
in the sun’s rays. Thus certain cells reflect only the green light in 
the sun’s rays, others the red, and so on. It is the chlorophyl in a leaf 
that reflects the green light rays from the sun; it is something else 
that shows up the red. 
Caladiums will not produce their best colors if grown in a too 
shaded situation. Some varieties will not bear direct sunlight, as it 
burns the leaves and causes them to fade. Such varieties are Nos. 87, 
99, 135, and 49. These are the thin-leaved beautifully transparent 
ones. They should be carried slightly shaded from the direct rays of 
the sun, or exposed to full light only before and after the hottest 
part of the day. All the other varieties will produce their most vivid 
colors if given direct sunlight, but it is well for the florist to use care 
in this respect, and try out different shading methods, as the sun’s 
rays vary in intensity with the latitude. Just carry the plants the 
same as any other, and on noticing any slight fading of a leaf before 
its time, give the plant a bit of shade. 
Our Caladiums are grown in the open, in full sun, and this is 
largely responsible for the vigorous bulbs, as when Caladiums are 
grown in a shaded lath-house, they are usually planted too closely, 
and the leaves become straggly and tall. Usually this excess leaf 
growth is made at the expense of the bulb. 
RIGHT START NECESSARY 
Caladiums are not to be compared to a narcissus bulb, which can 
be brought into flower in a bowl of water and gravel. If you want the 
best results with Caladiums, give them the start and care you would 
a fern, begonia, or other plant. Just because a Caladium bulb is large, 
and has a lot of food stored up in it, is no reason why it should nox 
be given some good soil. That food is stored up to make foliage, and 
the foliage' and color will not be what it should, if there is not some¬ 
thing under the bulb to give it a right “chance in life”. We go into 
details on this point because we know of many failures with these 
beautiful plants, that are directly traceable to a misunderstanding of 
their simple, but exact, requirements. 
