by PAUL CATALA
Across Florida, different towns are known for their agricultural crops – Ruskin for tomatoes, Plant City for strawberries, Lake Wales for citrus and Clewiston for sugarcane, for example.
Down in south central Florida, Lake Placid has been known as the “Caladium Capital of the World” since the 1950s. Each year, the town produces 90 to 98 percent of the world’s commercial caladium bulbs numbering in the tens of millions.
In Highlands County, where Lake Placid is located, caladium bulbs are grown on more than 1,000 acres, distributed across the United States, and sent to more than 40 countries. Caladiums thrive there thanks to the nutrient-rich floodplains muck soil and warm, humid conditions. They generate $20 million in economic activity each year.
To celebrate that industry, Lake Placid holds its annual Caladium Festival in downtown Lake Placid each July. There, growers from across Highlands County get a chance to sell their plants and highlight the caladium industry. Two of those for the 2026 festival are Classic Caladiums Inc. of Avon Park and Florida Boys Caladiums of Lake Placid.
Classic Caladiums
Clay Wallace, head grower for Classic Caladiums for nine years, says the company’s own caladium breeding program has cultivated varieties unique to the farm, which started in 2000. He says at 320 acres, it’s the largest caladium farm in the nation producing an estimated 30 million bulbs of all sizes per year.
Caladium season is generally early March to the end of November, with harvesting continuing through January.
“So far we’re good. I know Florida overall is in a multiyear drought, but we have insurance on our farm to mitigate some of that,” says Wallace, who adds that overhead and in-bed irrigation helps.
“We can control the rain when Mother Nature doesn’t give any.”
Compared to the 2025 season, growers are experiencing a good harvest, Wallace says. Compared to other recent seasons, coming off COVID times, the industry is leveling out but higher than where the peak started, he explains.
“We’re seeing gains.”
Wallace says a majority of the plants Classic Caladiums sells at the festival are reserve bulbs unique to the farm.
“As we get closer to the festival, if there’s inventory still available, we may add to it if we see we need more inventory,” he says. “We view the festival as testing the market with new things. We set new ones aside so people can see unique ones and sell them. It’s the price we pay for visibility at the festival.”
Florida Boys Caladiums
Generating revenue and unique, quality caladiums is the goal for Florida Boys Caladiums owners Jason and Sandi Holmes of Lake Placid. Jason is a third-generation caladium farmer. Their boys — Walker, 22; Lincoln, 19; and Weston, 17 — will be the fourth generation.
The couple started Heartland Caladiums in 2000, and then they started Florida Boys as an offshoot in 2015. The company is on 65 acres where 66 caladium varieties are grown by four full-time laborers and four to five seasonal workers.
Jason Holmes is upbeat about the 2026 season so far.
“We’ve had a great season,” he says. “It was a little more off than the previous two years, but we’re off to a decent year. The rains could be a bit more consistent but not bad. We’ve got good, timely rain, so we’re off to a good start.”
Holmes adds the challenges he and other growers have faced are the same growers have always faced.
“The biggest challenge is Mother Nature, with hurricanes and droughts, and just keeping diseases and funguses at bay,” he explains.
But the Holmeses have managed not only to keep their caladiums thriving but also to set aside bulbs for the Caladium Festival, which they’ve attended since 2019.
“We save bulbs for the festival so we have a good supply with new varieties so people can see what’s new out there,” Sandi says. “We take the old-type bulbs along with new ones. Everyone likes the new varieties.”
Gilbert “Gibbs” Randall is the Board President for the Greater Lake Placid Chamber of Commerce. Although not a caladium grower, he says the caladium festival gives growers the chance to display, market, and sell their plants, particularly the newer varieties. The festival attracts between 15,000 and 25,000 visitors over its three-day run annually.
“There’s lots of good food and local entertainers throughout the weekend who are performing on the main stage. You can buy a lot of neat crafts, niche items and enjoy the food and entertainment,” he says. “But the caladiums are the main draw. (Visitors) can get the bulbs there to spruce up their gardens and make everything look nice. It’s a great event for our town and Highlands County.”
2026 Caladium Festival
July 24 and 25: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
July 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Stuart Park
113 E. Interlake Blvd, Lake Placid