I too will be planting caladium bulbs for the first time this year. A search turned up this zone map for planting out, though I think I will start them ahead of time in pots until the soil warms up some here.

Another site said this...
about planting
1. make sure the ground is hot. Be sure that they are in a well drained area.
2. partially shaded areas are best.
3. two or three inches under the soil is recommended.
4. hot and moist soil is needed for caladiums to germinate rapidly, water caladiums frequently keep the soil moist but not soggy.
5. every six weeks a light application of 6-6-6 fertilizer is sufficient.

about caladiums
Caladiums are tropical by nature and do not like cold weather. Consistently hot weather (day and night) is necessary for germination. The hotter the temperature, the faster they will grow. Bulbs can be planted in any direction. They will orient themselves as they sprout. If shoots are present when you receive your bulbs, they should be planted upright for faster growth. Lack of water during germination can result in initially smaller leaves. The bulbs should be only two inches under the soil.

about color
- If bulbs are planted in deep shade, the green color
of the caladiums will tend to dominate
-If planted in highly acidic soil, the darker colors will
dominate
- Miracle Gro can cause color variations - use
carefully
- Several varieties change color as they mature -
please be patient

about spacing
Larger bulbs produce more leaves. Smaller bulbs planted in a cluster will give the same effect as a larger bulb. Leaf size is determined by the size of the eyes on a bulb. Larger bulbs have a better chance of having larger eyes.

I would think that AM sun, and afternoon shade would be all right....but I 'could' be wrong.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Caladium zone planting map

What a great list of instructions!
I love these and plant them every year. I was told to wait until the soil temp is a good 70 degrees. Down here near Dallas that means May or later. The heat in June brings them up in about 2 weeks!

The green ones can take more sun than the red...usually.

You can start yours inside if you want a head start. Don't bury too deeply, just below the surface with the little black dots that look like tiny eyes facing up.

If you have a really warm area in your house, you can get them going quickly and then take them into the light once they have sprouted. I heard of someone foring them near heating pipes in a large building.

cynthia

I didn't know that and planted them already. Should I dig them up, or leave them there? Will they be ok until the soil warms enough to wake them?

I planted mine as well..as I didn't know either. The bulbs were 50% off at Lowes, who could say no! I guess I was too excited to put them in! Can you let me know if I should dig mine up as well. Thank goodness I saved some of mine, in case these are ruined.

I would think they will be fine, so long as they have fairly well drained soil.

Sue

wowow!! thanks for all the good planting advice!! I went through the bag of bulbs i bought, and alot of them already have "eyes" so i planted a couple in a pot...I figure i will wait to plant the others in the ground, but thought i would give it a try in a container...I will see what happens!

Update:
My caladiums came up a few weeks ago, despite being planted too early in cold soil.

Update here too.

4 of my 9 varieties came up so far in a sunny garden row...now I just need to figure out where to move them to so they won't be in full sun.

This is my first time planting them and I'm hoping for quite a show!

Sue

Mine are only just showing up now! Actually 2 weeks ago I dumped one of the pots I had them in and sifted through to see what was up. I saw that they were just starting to grow so I carefully put them back. I remember that they are stubborn but not this bad.