Are you looking for a spectacular foliage plant for your patio or living room? The garden croton is a perfect choice. With those vibrant colors and numerous leaf shape choices to pick from, you can for sure transform the look of your house.
What is Garden Croton?
Also known as Codiaeum variegatum, the garden croton is one of the most incredible indoor plants valued for its spectacular colors. Known to be a bit difficult to care for but worth the effort. The garden croton is a tropical perennial evergreen shrub. The plant comes in various leaf colors and shapes. The colors vary from yellow, orange, variegated, cream, green, red, black, and pink or several combinations. The forms could be thick, long, thin, twisted, and short.
Intro of Garden Croton and How to grow it
Being a tropical plant native of South East Asia, Indonesia, and Malaysia, the garden croton is usually grown as an outdoor plant. It makes lovely, not to mention colorful hedges. In colder climates, the plant does well in greenhouses or indoors. It can't tolerate cold as its leaves start to fall. There's no much to gain from a foliage plant that is losing its leaves.
The plant needs high light, but some varieties need low to medium light. Your plant needs the light to make that showy scene, so the more colorful the array, the more the lighting requirements. Be sure to place your plants in a sunny location.
The croton plants also produce flowers during the onset of the autumn season. The flowers are bright yellow blooms. The flowering is not common, but the foliage is more than enough. Outdoor plants can grow up to 10 feet tall, while indoor plants remain a bit smaller. You can always bring your indoor plants out when the temperatures are 50°F and above.
Croton plants are toxic to humans and pets, so you might want to keep your toddlers, dogs, and cats away from this beautiful but poisonous shrub. The milky sap from any part of the plant can irritate your skin, so be sure to wear gloves when tending your shrub.
Types of Garden Croton you can find in Hong Kong.
- Spirale: The cultivar has the cutest spirally twisted green and red leaves.
- Andreanum: The plant has broad oval leaves, yellow with golden margins and veins.
- Majesticum: The plant has pendulous branches with 25cm long linear leaves with yellow midribs that turn red upon maturity.
- Aureo-maculatum: The croton plant has dark green leaves with yellow spots.