First Crotons in the ground

bags

Member
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15/07/09
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A few weeks ago I became interested in Crotons and came here for help. I got some great advice and I am looking to feature Crotons in my garden. I planted my first few yesterday. This is the overall planter that I have put a lot of work into the past month or so.
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Great mixture of textures and color there. I bet you wish it was the beginning of summer, as opposed the beginning of winter. :) At least you will be ready for some good summer growth when Spring rolls around. (Spring Rolls? Those sound good) :)
 
Thanks Dean. Yeah, I can't wait for summer. Three months with little or no growth is hard to take. It has been cold the past week or so. I got down to 38F and I know it was a lot worse for others. Rusty told me Jungle Music got down to 34F.
 
Thanks Dean. Yeah, I can't wait for summer. Three months with little or no growth is hard to take. It has been cold the past week or so. I got down to 38F and I know it was a lot worse for others. Rusty told me Jungle Music got down to 34F.

That's good to know. My place and Jungle Music are probably the same when it comes to lows.
 
Scott,
The leaf pattern is quite a bit different between the two(at least to a rookie like me). Is Mammie variable like this? Thanks, Aaron
 
"BAGS"...welcome to the club. I like the way you laid out your garden as shown in foto "2. You will realize soon enough that one or two Crotons are not enough!!! Bob in Costa Rica
 
Thanks Bob. This is just the beginning. I am on the search for as many as I can get. What part of Costa Rica are you? I have property in Playa Lagarto. It is a little south of Playa Negra. I hope to have a true tropical garden down there some day. Aaron
 
I think you should try Stewartii, one of the hardier cultivars. Petra, AFD #5 (Fantasy) and Norma should do well for you as well. They just need protection from the sun in the Summer. :)
 
Is that a young Royal Palm in the very first photo? Ten years from now you may be shouting vile epithets as a crownshaft and frond squish whatever is under it; twenty years on the 75 lb fronds and crownshaft will fbe crashing into the edge of the roof.
Royals are great palms but murder on much of anything under them - unless you enjoy making cutting from the crunched crotons.
 
Is that a young Royal Palm in the very first photo? Ten years from now you may be shouting vile epithets as a crownshaft and frond squish whatever is under it; twenty years on the 75 lb fronds and crownshaft will fbe crashing into the edge of the roof.
Royals are great palms but murder on much of anything under them - unless you enjoy making cutting from the crunched crotons.

Good eye Phil, I seen people put them in clay pots underground surrounded by rocks to stunt there growth lol go figure :confused:
 
Aaron...I have my home in San Antonio de Escazu in the mountains of Pico Blanco overlooking the capitol city of San Jose as well as Escazu and Alajuela in the distance. Best of luck with your Croton collection.
 
Just a quick update on my Crotons. Scott sent me several varieties (thanks Again) and most have done well. The Noid plant, gold finger, Petra and Batik have done very well none lost any leaves even though they were shipped bare root in the middle of winter. They are all planted and doing well. A small mammy died but the larger one in the picture is looking good again after loosing all of its leaves by the end of winter. Scott also send me a Tamara that did fine until I planted it in August. Not sure how it made it that far to croak on me like that. I have added a few more varieties and will post some updated pics when I get around to taking some end of summer pics.
 
Here are a few that are doing well.
The Noid plant
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Batik. This one does not seem to mind our winters at all
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Gold finger kept all its leaves this past winter. Yellow bannana also took winter great. I wonder if there is something with the yellows being more cold hardy.
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Any id's on this one? I purchased it at Home Depot.
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I posted my yard on palm talk if anyone wants to take a look but here is a before and after.
2008
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2011
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I also saw your thread on Palm Talk. The front of your house / yard has really changed. I love the Ensete banana on the right, I just wish they grew better here in south Florida. A great job, something to be proud of!
Jeff
 
Thanks guys. Any Ideas on the croton from Home Depot?

Jeff,
The enste's are amazing, and get huge fast. One or two in a new landscape would give you a semi mature looking garden fast. I think you saw the one in my back yard when you and BS man stopped by last year. It went from six inches to 15 feet plus in three years then flowered and died. It was a lot of work to remove it after only three years and probably not worth the effort. Hopefully the one in the front lasts longer.
 
Everything sure is looking good. Hopefully you will be able to show some of dudes in SoCal that Crotons are worth it, to give a little color to the garden. Just like palms, I'm sure some will be better than others. But how do you know, unless you grow.

Eddie would grow. :)
 
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