Heart to Heart® Blushing Bride Sun or Shade Caladium

Heart to Heart® ‘Blushing Bride’ is a lance-leaved caladium with an upright, mounding habit and distinctive purple-centered foliage edged in dark green, with pale veining. It is sold as a sun-or-shade caladium, though the best color and performance depend on climate and light intensity. ## Cultivar and growing conditions The [U.S. plant patent](https://patents.google.com/patent/USPP22213P2/en) identifies ‘Blushing Bride’ as Caladium × hortulanum and describes greyed-purple leaf centers, dark green margins, and whitish veins tinged purple. It records an upright, mounding, vigorous plant; 20–26 cm leaf-plane height and 40–44 cm spread in a shadehouse container; and spring or early-summer flowering in central Florida. The patent was granted and published October 25, 2011. North Carolina State Extension notes that most caladiums prefer shade and that full sun can reduce foliage color intensity; cultivar-specific light response may vary. ## Maintenance Plant tubers after warm weather settles in and keep soil evenly moist with good drainage. In cold climates, lift tubers before frost and store dry and warm until the next planting season. Protect the foliage from wind and hail.