'Stoplight' extra hardy?

[Stan]

I got a tip this cultivar will hold leaves all winter in soutex. And later,i spotted what l think is 'stoplight' in photos of the Sherman Gardens greenhouse. Unheated,I believe.

 

[annafl]

Hi Stan, in my limited experience, I've had my stoplight for over two winters with temperatures down to low 30's. I don't remember it ever losing a leaf because of cold weather. It does have some larger bushes to its north, but no troubles here. Good luck! It is a beautiful croton.

 

[Stan]

Thanks Anna- is there a good ebay Croton seller or Florida? Somebody that is the "Michaels (broms)" of Crotons?

 

[Phil Stager]

Stan - I'm a regular ebay shopper for all sorts of weirdness but have not seen anyone good for crotons. (I also collect croton picture postcards and croton postage stamps.)
For the cost of postage, a lot of members here would be glad to send you cuttings. You'd be on your own then, but there's probably a few threads and posts on rooting cuttings. It's not difficult at all - once the weather warms up or if you have a heated greenhouse. I know there's one croton head in the Houston area, but she has a greenhouse.
Recall that the croton really is a tropical plant. Mine here in the warmer part of St. Pete get fried every ten years or so. I'll have to dig out some old pics - it ain't purty.

 

[Phil Stager]

Found them! Here's some pics of the yard after the crappy winter of 2010. You may pick out a few scraggly Stoplights. Fortunately, most recovered as evidenced by some recent pics in the Landscape section. The palm with a short fat trunk in one pic is a Beccariophoenix fenestralis which came through in good shape; the Bottle Palm in another was a casualty.

 

[Phil Stager]

whoops, here's the long gone Bottle Palm

 

[junglegal]

Good reminder Phil. 4 short yrs ago. Stan, if I'm not mistaken, the AFD varieties were bred for cold hardiness although my experience was that they defoliate like all the rest.