• Lake Placid is the Caladium Capitol of the World where 95% of the world's caladiums grow
• Annual Caladium Festival draws thousands of people to see the acres of color in the fields
• Most Caladiums grow in 1,500 acres of black lake bottom muck on Route 621

"When God finished creating flowers, he turned a flower into a leaf," someone said.

Brought here from the Amazon River Valley of South America, these beautiful leaf plants have become a thriving and important local industry.

The annual Caladium Festival draws crowds each fall when these fascinating plants are in "full bloom"---when their leaves are a rainbow of hues filling acres with color rivaling the tulip fields in the Skagit Valley in Washington.

The first bulbs were planted here more than half a century ago.  Since then, the caladium industry cultivates more than 1,300 acres.  The bulbs are shipped nationwide, especially to southern states and overseas to South Africa, Turkey, Spain, Pakistan, and all over Europe.

A large area of caladium farming spreads across the rich dark soil south of Lake Istokpoga.  You can see these fields by traveling east on County Route 621.  In late summer and early fall when the crop is mature, the wide-ranging landscape is a tapestry of bright red, pink, and white and all the shades in between.

Take some caladium bulbs with you and enjoy these highly decorative plants around the yard or grown in pots placed on a patio, deck or in a window.

By the way, our caladium growers supplied thousands of plants that helped decorate Atlanta for the '96 Olympics.