Thanks to our very plant-friendly climate in this region of Florida, St. Petersburg gardeners have access to a lot of great plants that just won’t grow in colder areas.  This is a photo of one of the many varieties of the Croton plant – I came upon this very colorful specimen while my wife and I were walking through the gardens at the Dr. Carter G. Woodson Museum on Saturday, taking advantage of Free Museum Day.  (I’ll be posting about this museum one day this week.)

Crotons are a fantastic plant for our area, because they are easy to grow and they’re very hardy, but especially because of what you see for yourself below – they are incredibly colorful plants.  Many residents have yards that are so covered in shade that they can’t plant colorful flowers, because most flowers want a great deal of sunshine in order to thrive.  But the croton will do fine in a shade garden, providing interest and color where there otherwise would be none. 

Crotons do best in warm climates such as ours, thriving in USDA Zones 10-11. The ideal temperature should stay within 60-85 degrees F.  One thing to note is that the degree of color will vary according to the amount of light that the plant receives.  For any given variety of Croton, a plant that gets some sunlight will likely be more colorful than one that is planted in 100% shade.  But it’s a very forgiving plant, and will usually do fine in any kind of light.  If you do plant Crotons, be aware that any temperatures below 45 degrees F for an extended period of time will damage or kill the plant, so you may have to cover it on very cold nights. 

Colorful Croton (click on picture for larger image)