With its brightly coloured leaves, the Croton plant really is a work of art. Each leaf has a vivid variegated pattern and is splashed with red, orange, pink, yellow or green. It’s not the easiest plant to look after, but with the right care and attention this limited-edition beauty will make the perfect – and most unusual – centrepiece to your collection.
Native to India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the western Pacific islands, the Croton enjoys hot, humid climates. If yours is feeling the cold you’ll notice some leaf drop, so keep it in a warm, bright room and away from cool draughts. Croton like their soil to be moist, so water regularly with room temperature water when the top inch or two feels dry. Too much water and it will drop leaves. Too little water and it will drop leaves. Water that’s too cold? You guessed it, it will drop leaves! But, if you can get the balance right, you’ll be rewarded with a striking display of multicoloured foliage.
Feeding your plant once or twice a month in spring and summer will give it all the nutrients it needs to create such a fabulous display of foliage. To keep those leaves vibrant, make sure your plant gets plenty of bright indirect light – the more light it gets, the more colourful the leaves will be. That said, too much sunlight, and you may end up with crispy sunburnt leaves. A croton can survive in lower light levels, but the leaves won’t be quite as impressive.
Did you know?
Croton sap is poisonous, so remember to wear gloves if you’re getting up close and personal.
Bright light
Needs love
