In the wild, garden croton is an evergreen shrub that grows to 10 ft
(3.1 m) tall and has large, leathery, shiny leaves. The cultivated
garden crotons are usually smaller and come in an amazing diversity of
leaf shapes and colors. What they do have in common are rather thick
evergreen alternate leaves, tiny inconspicuous star-shaped yellow
flowers that hang down in long racemes, and a milky sap that bleeds
from cut stems. Depending on the cultivar, the leaves may be ovate to
linear, entire to deeply lobed, and variegated with green, white,
purple, orange, yellow, red or pink. The colors may follow the veins,
the margins or they may be in blotches on the leaf.
 |
| The croton cultivar 'Evening Embers' boasts unusual metallic blue-black leaves highlighted in red and green. |
Garden croton occurs naturally in southern Asia, Indonesia and other
Eastern Pacific islands where it grows in open forests and scrub. There
are several hundred cultivars, selected and bred for their beautiful
foliage. Popular cultivars include 'Spirale' which has spirally-twisted
red and green leaves; 'Andreanum' which has broadly oval yellow leaves
with gold veins and margins; 'Majesticum' which has 10 in (25.4 cm)
long linear leaves with midrib veins yellow maturing to red; and
'Aureo-maculatum' which has leaves spotted with yellow.
It's quite a challenge to keep these beautiful foliage plants healthy
outside of the tropics or a greenhouse. They need to be kept warm and
humid.
Light:Needs bright light or partial shade, but should be shaded from direct summer sun.
Moisture: Crotons require moist, humus-rich, but well-drained
soil. Water and fertilize weekly during the growing season. Water
moderately during the winter, and never let the soil dry out. Spray the
leaves daily with tepid water in air-conditioned environments.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 10 - 11. Crotons do best at temperatures
between 60 and 85 degrees F. and will die if temperatures stay below
about 46ºF (7.8ºC) for very long.
Propagation:Propagated by air-layering or tip cuttings of
softwood. Dip the cut end in powdered charcoal to stop the bleeding,
and keep cuttings above 70ºF (21ºC). They should develop roots in a
month or two.
 |
| This interesting narrow-leaved croton cultivar is called 'Johannah Coppinger'. |
In tropical climates, crotons
make attractive hedges and potted patio specimens. Elsewhere, they are
grown in greenhouses or as house plants, valued for their striking
foliage. In the home, put crotons on a window sill that faces southeast
or southwest, but protect them from drafts and severe fluctuations in
temperature. The better the light, the brighter the foliage colors will
be, but do not leave crotons in direct sun when grown indoors.
Don't confuse the garden crotons with Croton,
a cosmopolitan genus also in the Euphorbiaceae, containing more than
700 species of herbs, shrubs and trees, some of which are native weeds
in North America.
 
|
