I haven't grown caladiums, but I am growing elephant ears (colocasia) and alocasia, which are close relatives. I grow them in large wooden tubs in the summer. They are in an area that is fairly shady most of the day. I have found that they want much more water than any of the many other plants I've grown in decades. I have to water every other day even though the surface of the soil is still moist. Otherwise they wilt dramatically. I added extra peat and composted manure to my standard 5-1-1 this year, and the plants are thriving. I think your caladiums need more water, not less. They may also need larger pots. I can see roots near the surface of the soil in my 20-gallon pot on a plant that was nothing but a tuber two months ago.

This nursery is not marketing to specialists or collectors, and not even to the gardening public, it's marketing to the GENERAL public. As such I expect a certain amount of marketing hype and "rare" and "exotic" are just marketing terms. I do see plenty of misinformation coming from such companies--those marketing to the general public frequently don't provide the botanical names of their plants, although I would never order from such a company--but it's hard to tell if it's anything truly underhanded or just simple ignorance on their parts. And let's face it, much of the general public doesn't really want or care about the botanical names, they just want their snapdragons and geraniums. Think about various plants called "foxglove" in the trade, like Ceratotheca and Rehmannia. Is it unethical to call those things "South African foxglove" and "Chinese foxglove" when they are not Digitalis? Mass-marketers will ALWAYS go with a more familiar name, even if it's not entirely accurate. "Elephant Ear" sounds more glamorous, more familiar, and more user-friendly than "Caladium". That's precisely why I see websites like Gardenweb and Garden Watchdog as being so valuable: they provide a way for us to educate ourselves and each other, and to help us steer clear of the unethical businesses, and provide information to those who are a little less horticulturally literate. If this is really a shady or unethical nursery, the buyer feedback on Ebay will eventually catch up with them. But so far their customers seem pleased, and for better or for worse in business, that's the bottom line. BTW is that black-leafed elephant ear really 'Black Magic'? Who knows. I would be VERY cautious about identifying any unlabeled plant with a cultivar name (and especially from a photo only). This name has been applied to at least a couple of different dark-leafed clones in cultivation; plants I got as 'Black Magic' from two different sources turned out to be what Plant Delights is calling 'Black Runner'. A couple of other names are being thrown around and who knows how many dark-leafed cultivars there really are, and what the proper names for each of them are.

To CTC & Roxanne: I thought you and anyone else interested in ordering Thalictrum,'Splendide' might want to see this. -------------------------------------------- Re: Thalictrum FROM: Joshua Spece TO: Annie Message flagged Monday, August 22, 2011 8:21 PM Message body Hi Annie, I appologize for the slow reply. We are relocating our nursery this fall, so things are a bit chaotic here! Sadly, I'm not sure that I will have T. 'Splendide' in the future. The only supplier I know of for it, is no longer producing it. I will keep your email, though, and let you know if I happen to find another supplier. Sorry! Josh In The Country Garden & Gifts Specializing in Hostas and Water Gardens http://www.inthecountrygardenandgifts.com Gardener's Touch Hand Cream http://www.gardenerstouch.net Annie wrote: > > Comments: > > I am interested in ordering Thalictrum 'Splendide'. I see that you are sold out of it. When will you have it for sale again and can you contact me then? > That is so beautiful! > > Thank you. > Annie

Hi Susie, your white one sounds very pretty, good to know it's still alive after several years! Great job growing it. Hi Irma, I live in Highlands County, zone 9b...I will bring it inside at night when temps go below 40. Last year in winter, we had maybe 3 nights that went that low so shouldn't be too much of an issue. I have it outside right up against my front window, all shade but very bright light...