Caladium bulb update and new plants | backyard pollinator garden | Texas Gulf Coast Zone 9b

I purchased Longfield Gardens caladium bulbs from Costco in March, and I wanted to give an update on the 5 different caladium plants. I also show some new plants that I will be adding to the garden. Thank you to ‪@JosTXGarden‬ for the Stoke's Aster recommendation! 😊
The following are the caladiums from bulbs:
- White Christmas
- Red Flash
- Fannie Munson
- Carolyn Whorton
- White Queen
The 2 containers with new caladiums as bedding plants are "Puppy Love", and my favorite where only 1 stem has emerged so far is called, "Splash of Wine" from the Proven Winners Heart to Heart series.

[@HoosierDaddy_]

Your backyard gardens look better every time I see it!

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Thank you!😊 We have now crossed over into the very warm and humid part. We are high 80s during the day and mid 70s at night. The plants I use in my pollinator garden typically will thrive in these conditions. This morning the humidity is 92%. We have such a long growing season too, so I also gravitate to long blooming perennials. And I try to tuck in annuals here and there.

[@HoosierDaddy_]

That Stokes Aster is amazing looking. You won't be disappointed!

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

I am really excited to have it in my new garden bed!

[@wesleyhackney]

I love caladiums even if they don’t attract butterfly’s, hummingbirds birds and pollinators because they are just so beautiful. You are right they are slow to start needing heat. My other plant I like for my tropical garden are colocasias. One I really like is Mojoto which is beautiful. Liked the way you started growing the caladiums

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

I really like caladiums too! I do have a few plants that don't work for pollinators, but caladiums are plants that I will always have in the garden for their wonderful color. They grow so well for us along the Gulf Coast and love our humidity. Colocasias are a plant I have not tried yet. Do you plant yours in the ground or keep them in containers?

[@wesleyhackney]

@@ButterfliesNBirds mostly in containers. They love water so I plant them in a 3 gallon plastic pot with holes in side then place them I. A larger pot that will hold water. Fill it half way with water and check on it once week. They stay moist this way. Then in fall / winter I take out the pots let the leaves die back & just leave them in pot in garage or greenhouse till spring & they do great

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

That is a great way to keep them happy with water - thank you for sharing that! 👍

[@darleneridgeway7452]

I live in SC & overwinter them in the garage..if I don’t they rot in the winter in my 7 b garden…an old freezer runs out there so I think that helps.

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

I know I should dig mine up too and overwinter them, maybe this year will be the year! 😄

[@marleneegan-hm7lr]

Yes the el brighto looks great! I have one in the ground, it’s growing. And yeah I wonder what’s going on with that coneflower of yours.

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

I am so hopeful for El Brighto! I have had lots of success with the Proven Winners ColorBlaze series of coleus, so I think this one will be wonderful too. The only issue I have had is they grow very large and then can flop, so I have had to stake some. This is only my 4th summer with coneflowers, and I have only had one like this before, but I think I'm just going to get rid of it so I don't have other issues (if it happens to be a bacteria).

[@tammytubb5147]

The mosquitos are eating me alive in Spring, Tx

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

I know - they are terrible here too! 😕

[@marleneegan-hm7lr]

Tammy it’s awful! I can’t go and check on my plant for a minute without getting swarmed, I think I need to put some mosquito dunks in the drains and see if it helps

[@davettayoung1495]

Absolutely beautiful 🪷🌷🌸 Hi Crystal! It’s Renae, in North Texas. I noticed that you have a shrimp plant. I thought of getting one, but it gets so hot here in Texas, as you know.

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Hi Renae! I love my shrimp plants. Mine are in my shade garden that gets some morning sun. They thrive in that situation for me, even though we get brutally hot in the summer. The only difference between us is we have more humidity than you. I got mine in February, 2023 so they are a little over a year old now.

[@TerriDaniel-kj6ii]

Hi Crystal what do you use as squirrel deterrent? I have tons of squirrels digging in my pots and garden!

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Oh dear ... squirrels are awful in my yard too! They will stay away from hot pepper, so at times I have purchased bird seed laced with hot pepper. The squirrels won't touch it. They also don't touch the bark butter with hot pepper for birds. BUT, they dig in my containers, garden beds, and hanging baskets. One commenter purchases "Cat scat" for both cats and squirrels digging. I haven't done that yet. The problem with red pepper or coffee grounds is you have to keep reapplying. 😕

[@annaa.7554]

You have such a nice variety of plants! May I ask where you got the scalloped shape landscape edging? I also planted caladium bulbs from Costco, but mine didn't sprout. I also bought bare root nepeta, daylillies, sedum and cannas from Costco. Almost all are coming along nicely, especially the sedum, those grew on quickly. Planting bare roots is new to me. I live in So. Cal, Zone 10a

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Thank you! I got the scalloped and interlocking landscape edging from Home Depot ... the brand was Vigoro I believe. (I think Lowe's has a version of it too.) My caladium bulbs have only very recently come up. (Our temperatures are now in the high 80s during the day and 70s at night. This morning the humidity was 92%.) I think it is fantastic you branched out into planting bare roots! That is something I haven't done yet.

[@user-gk5ph2kj8p]

Hi Crystal. What kind of soil did you use for the new raised bed?

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

For this raised bed we used Miracle-Gro Organic Choice, Raised Bed & In-Ground Soil with Compost (from Costco). I REALLY like this soil and it will be the second year I have used it.