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"Possibility and promise greet me each day as I walk out into my garden. My vigor is renewed when I breathe in the earthiness and feel the dirt between my fingers. My garden is a peaceful spot to refresh my soul." Meems






Welcome to my Central Florida Garden Blog where we garden combining Florida natives, Florida-Friendly plants, and tropicals.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Miss Muffett::Not Sitting On Her Tuffett


If you don't know her already it is my pleasure to introduce to 'Miss Muffett'. She sort of brings out the, gushing, proud-as-a-Mimi, 'giddy' me.

She's a bright chartreuse green, medium tall caladium variety that has been and remains my number one choice for summer foliage from this beautiful genus of ornamental plants.

Planted from bulbs in amended organic soil, that is moist from summer rains but well drained, these lovelies will hold their heads high for all the months from spring to summer. Mix them with reds, pinks, greens, or clump them alone to add splashes of delightful color all over the garden!

The freckly magenta pattern on her heart-shaped face is bright enough to add just the right amount of pizazz yet subtle enough to blend quietly with her surroundings.

Tip: She is a perfect specimen for cut arrangements in water vases. I especially like to reach underneath the larger leaves to cut a few of the smaller leaves for small glass vases to put in the kitchen window sill. They will last for over two weeks in water.

Plant her directly in the ground or in container plants. For a fuller habit in containers she benefits from the de-eyeing process first. Although her recommendations come with full sun capabilities my experience shows she performs best placed in partially sunny to small doses of full sun situations.

This one will make any gardener smile during the hottest, most humid months of the year. And that's really something to boast about.

Tip: I reserve an order of Miss Muffetts bulbs storing them until late August to freshen up my favorite varieties with another planting. A second season of flourishing caladium foliage will extend the beauty in my garden until late fall.

Have you tried adding Miss Muffett to your garden yet? She promises to be a great performer for you, too. This year my healthy and vigorous Miss Muffett bulbs came from Classic Caladiums.

13 comments:

  1. Wow! They look huge. Stunning variety! Looks like they love that shady spot.

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  2. She's gorgeous...and fits into your garden beautifully. xogail

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  3. Great leaf pattern and color. Your garden is really wonderful to look at.

    I haven't tried the leaves cut inside the house. I usually use Philodendron leaves in tall vases.

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  4. I LOVE her and she makes me smile every time I see her. I can see her out the window while I wash dishes. Another pot of her is in the screened room so I see her regularly coming in and going out.

    Thanks again for sharing your love of caladiums. They are wonderful and colorful. Thanks for the tip about picking smaller leaves to place inside for enjoyment there.

    Hugs ~ FlowerLady

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  5. She is making me smile too! And it really doesn't require any care after I put them in the ground especially we are receiving regular rain laterly. Thanks so much for sending me this beauty, and they are looking gorgeous and full. Definitely a beautiful scene in my garden. Thanks again!

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  6. I planned Miss Muffett this year and I just love her!
    I have a question I know Caladiums start to leave in late summer but, I seem to loose them earlier than some of my friends do. Is there something I should be doing to help them along a few more weeks>

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  7. I'd have to say that Miss Muffet is one of my favorites, too, but it's hard to pick just one fav caladium since they're all so pretty. She does mix well with lots of plants as your photos attest to. Plus her name is soooo cute!

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  8. Daisy,
    They are not so much huge... more like a medium variety. I do think they like the filtered light through the trees.

    Gail,
    She does seem to be happy here... she's welcome to stay.

    Bom,
    Thank you. I LOVE to use philodendron in tall vases... or palmetto leaves... dramatic and striking!

    Donna,
    The color combination makes her a winner in my garden.

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  9. FlowerLady,
    Miss Muffett will surely bring a smile ... nice you can see her from your kitchen window. I try to put the things I love the most where they can be seen fromo mykitchen window, too.

    Ami,
    Extremely easy-care... which is one of the main reasons I LOVE them so much in my summer garden. Glady yours are doing well.


    wondering gardener,
    Each variety of caladium has a sprout time and a harvest time. You may have varieties that 'finish' early. Some last longer than others.

    Susan,
    Agreed. It IS very hard to pick but this one continues to be at the top of my list even after trying all the new varieties. I've got a couple of others right up there close to her though. :-)

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  10. I have so enjoyed my white caladiums this year and will be adding different varieties next year. Your Caladiums are always exquisite.

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  11. Darla,
    Always happy to hear a gardener loving their own caladiums... white varieties are some of my favorites, too.

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  12. I am in Houston, and was just planting fall bulbs. I dug up a huge clump of bulbs, and was pretty sure that was where I had planted Miss Muffet in early spring. (My caladiums rarely return, although a few varieties do every year, with much smaller leaves.)To be sure I went to another spot I PLANTED Miss Muffet, which was easy since it was one of 2 varieties I planted this year, and lo and behold another clump of bulbs, these had a few new shoots too. I know you are in Florida, and I am in a slightly different zone, more of a 8b/9a according to the USDA map, but should I try and separate these and replant, just leave them alone or lift them? I'd love to leave them in the ground for winter. Seems each bulblet is close to the size of the original that was planted. I'm wondering if these are maybe hardier than most. I've only bought from box stores, until this year when I bought Miss Muffet at a local Garden Center in a small pot and I've dug them before, but even with bulblets I don't think I've seen any I've dug before with bulbs the size of the original. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks Angie Bobo (a somewhat obsessive gardner)

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Have a blessed day,
Meems


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