Cheryl, I'm sure you will have to dig them up...I have to dig them up here.

Congratulations on winning the contest.

Jan

Sorry, but Jan is right. Your caladiums won't survive a winter there. What are your other options?

I dig mine up also - - they definitely wouldn't make it here over the winter. I grow mine in pots and then just put the pots in the basement for the winter. As long as I feed them, they come back bigger each year. And I even do the ones that I grow in the ground this way, by counter sinking the pots into the ground. When I planted the bulbs directly in the ground, it seemed that I sometimes couldn't find all the bulbs as they are so small.

Well darn. Since the website is mostly tropicals, which I do so love, I'll be digging up or bringing inside anyway. Here are some other choices.
Lots of different cannas, but I'm not interested in those at this time.
A Furcreae f. mediopicta, that is very tropical, but I love it, so might get this one.
Euphorbias, Gingers, Rain Lilies, Crinums, Aroids, Adeniums, Pancratium zeylanicum( I love this ), Gloriosa rothschildiana , Scadoxus multiflorus (Blood Lily)

Wow..that is great for you. I made the mistake (being a newbie) and lost mine that I brought up from FL....:((
I am hoping to get some more....Well worth digging up or putting in pots though. (which I will do next time!!) LOL

Sonda, Places like Lowes and Walmart have their caladium and other summer bulbs in stock now. Be sure to buy early as they go quickly and be sure to NOT buy from anywhere (like Home Depot in West Knoxville) that has their tender bulbs stored outside.

Cheryl, it sounds like you have some pretty stuff to choose from for your gift certificate. I don't know what gingers they have (what site is it?) but many of the hedychiums and a few curcumas are hardy here if mulched. If you don't have white butterfly ginger, you missing out on the best smelling bloom around. Nice tropical foliage during the summer and blooms late in the summer up until frost.

I did have white butterfly ginger, lost it though. Do you leave yours out in the winter and mulch it ? I think Mel does that too.

I have left mine outside before and just piled a thick layer of mulch on top. This year, I am moving tons of stuff and I dug mine up in November. We do have wet winters, though - - and the gingers need to be where it drains well if they are left outside.

I left my black magic elephant ear outside. Rebecca told me to LOL. Actually she leaves hers out so I wanted to try it. I kept a baby inside just in case.

Several of the alocasias and colocasias are hardy here in this zone - Black Magic and Nancy's Revenge to name a couple. I luv ears!

Now see I didn't know that, or I would have left out my Nancy's revenge too. What are some others ? Do you just heavily mulch them and have no problems ?

Black runner, Burgandy Stem, Ruffles, Chicago Harlequin, Portadora, Rhubarb and Yellow Splash are hardy to 7B - - which means that MOST winters they will make it here if mulched. That one in a decade frigid, wet winter might take these out - - but they should make it the vast majority of the time if given some winter protection.

Mine are in slightly raised mounds which allow for good drainage and I do mulch with a 6-8 inch layer of shredded leaves. If they are small (or acquired later in the summer), I do dig them up for the winter.