
Gold Dust Croton
Mike Malloy
mikemalloy@naplesbutterfly.com
Crotons (Codiaeum variegatum) were used years ago to decorate East Coast Florida hotel lobbies, as flower arrangements and planted extensively in Florida landscapes for their beautiful tropical color. They come in a kaleidoscope of colors: yellows, pinks, reds, greens, rusts and an occasionally purple and black. They also come in a multitude of leaf sizes and shapes. Flowers of the Crotons are small in size and are secondary to the more ornate colorful leaves. Crotons make wonderful year round colorful container or landscape plants without a lot work. Popular in the 1940s and 1950s, the Croton is making a well-deserved comeback. Like everything else, plants also go in and out of fashion. “THEIR BACK!”
The Croton is classified

Picasso Paint Brush Croton
I have found that when plants damaged or defoliated by frost — not only Crotons but most plants — come back, they usually are in better condition than before the frost. They

Croton Flowers. PHOTOS BY MIKE MALLOY
I personally think that plants welcome the freeze. It gives them an opportunity to rest, which they normally don’t get, and reward us with unusually healthy, pest-free, flowering plants. Only for a while until Mother Nature catches up.
Crotons are very slow growing, and do not require much fertilizer. If you want to fertilize, low

Dread Lock Croton
Mulching you garden helps keep up the humidity, which Crotons love, and also helps to keep the weeds down. Pine Straw is my choice for mulch. Crotons do not require a lot of water but need to be watched in a drought. Their leaves will wilt, telling you they needs water. Do not over water (ANYTHING); fungus and root rot can develop.
Crotons attain full color in partial shade to full sun. This makes it a must for condo complexes

Rex Croton
Crotons also take to hard wood stem cuttings with ease. Take off bottom leaves, and soak them in water for about two days. Then use sand as a potting mixture. Always keep cuttings of any kinds in shade to semi shade and at a temperature of at least 60 degrees at night. For the more advanced, air layering also works. So put a little color in your life in containers or in the landscape with Crotons.
KEEP BUTTERFLYING!
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