BobWalsh wrote:
For everybody interested in colorful tropical foliage plants....

*Codiaeum variegatum*, also called “Garden Croton” or “Variegated
Croton”, is a species of plants in the genus Codiaeum, a member of the
Euphorbiaceae family.

These colorful tropical foliage plants look great when grown in pots
and grouped together with other tropical plants, including dwarf
bananas, bromeliads, gingers, gardenias, small heliconias, hibiscus,
jasmine, orchids or plumeria plants.

[image:
http://a4578bxyqrmka19x.info/resources/_wsb_250x333_Croton$2C+July+2011.jpg]

Croton plants are known for their colorful foliage which has a waxy
texture with vertical growth and leaves facing outwards. The more sun
or bright light Croton plants receive, the more colorful their foliage
becomes.

Crotons need to be watered well with the soil remaining moist. They
prefer to be grown in high humidity and benefit from daily misting
when the humidity is low.

When fertilizing Croton plants any fertilizer high in Nitrogen, like
9-3-6 is recommended.

Crotons belong to the family of Euphorbiaceae and are therefore
considered poisonous. The sap may cause skin eczema and is also toxic
if ingested.

Popular varieties of these colorful tropical foliage plants include
-Codiaeum variegatum ‘Gold Moon’, Codiaeum variegatum ‘Gold Sun’,
Codiaeum variegatum ‘Goldfinger’, Codiaeum variegatum ‘Grubell’,
Codiaeum variegatum ‘Petra’- and -Codiaeum variegatum ‘Excellent’-.

Croton plants, when grown outdoors, have to be protected or brought
indoors if the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit or 10
degrees Celsius. Otherwise leaf drop may occur.

Another great group of colorful tropical foliage plants are
*Caladiums*. Caladium is one genus of plants in the Araceae family.

[image:
http://a4578bxyqrmka19x.info/resources/_wsb_250x298_Caladium$2C+July+2011.jpg]

Currently there exist over 1000 cultivars of Caladium bicolor which is
considered the original Caladium from South America.

Caladium plants have been cultivated in Europe since the eighteenth
century.

Popular varieties of these colorful tropical foliage plants include
-Candidum White, Cardinal Red, Carolyn Wharton Pink, Fannie Munson
Pink, Frieda Hemple Red, Postman Joyner Red, Roselight Pink, White
Queen- and -Rojo Red-, to name a few.

Croton and Caladium plants can be grown outdoors during the warmer
months of the year and indoors as house plants the rest of the year.
Caladium plants are only hardy in zone 9 and 10. In colder regions
they have to be dug up in fall. They also make great house plants year
round.

[image:
http://a4578bxyqrmka19x.info/resourc...Summer+51.jpg]

While actively growing Caladium plants need a great deal of moisture
and should not be allowed to dry out.

As with Croton plants it’s best to use a fertilizer high in Nitrogen,
like 9-3-6 and mist their foliage daily if the humidity is low.

All parts of Caladium plants are considered poisonous and may cause
skin irritations in sensitive individuals.

I hope you’re already enjoying your Croton and Caladium plants. If
not, give them a try and brighten up your plant stand indoors or add
that needed color to your outdoor garden.

Quite interesting, I love these plants but cannot grow them where I live but
I have a few problems.

For an international forum generalisations like "Croton and Caladium plants
can be grown outdoors during the warmer months of the year and indoors as
house plants the rest of the year." are not appropriate as they assume a
temperate climate.

Also you emphasise that they need moisture and humidity, and require
sunlight to look their best. You then say they make great house plants.
My definition of a 'great' house plant is one that gives good results for
little effort indoors. Most houses in temperate zones (especially in
winter) have rather low humidity and have low light except in front of
sun-facing windows.

It might have been better to be more modest and say they can be grown
indoors if you go to some trouble to put them in strong light and to produce
a humid micro-climate (such as with trays of wet stones, grouping plants
together and regular misting) and if you take care to rid them of pests such
as spider mite which thrive indoors.

David