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Croton - Codiaeum variegatum

The Croton is in the Euphorbia Family, Codiaeum variegatum. There are 750 known varieties of the Croton and since I am far from an expert in identifying plants, I have no idea which variety the featured Croton happens to be. I do know is it is one of the prettiest house plants one can have and in warmer climates can provide a very showy display in your tropical landscape.

This plant loves lots of water. I have never seen a plant drink so much! If you tend to kill your plants by drowning, this may be the plant for you! (I'm kidding, every plant can get root rot due to overwatering.) Keep it in a sun-shiny location to keep the colors vibrant. They prefer cooler temperatures but this particular plant does well, as you can see, in 68-70 degree indoor temperatures but probably also why it needs more water.

The soil medium should have aeration but do not make excessive drainage holes or you'll be watering it every day as it tends to dry out quickly, as I mentioned.

This particular plant has never been fertilized and only re-potted once in well over 20 years. I'm amazed it does so well but I have read that if you fertilized you need to use half the strength.

It is extremely rare you will see a Croton bloom, but if your Croton is a very happy plant, you may be lucky enough to see such a bloom. The plant pictured here has bloomed several times throughout it's life. The blooms are nothing spectacular and fade quickly, just rare to see.