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'Tis the Season in Florida


Moose

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Raphael in three different gardens in three different counties around the State of Florida.

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Sybil Griffin - 1st and last photos are from two different West Coast gardens, the other two photos are from an East Coast garden. :)

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Stoplights - found in 4 different gardens around the State of Florida. :)

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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And a couple more Stoplights being cultivated by a crotonhead in Louisiana ... :huh:

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Nice pics Moose. I really like crotons, but they are tricky and hard to find here in CA. You guys are lucky to have so many varieties in FL. I like the Fish bone. Is it a hearty variety? All of the Crotons I have with yellow do not drop any leaves in winter. The more colorful ones are hit and miss.

Encinitas, CA

Zone 10b

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Nice pics Moose. I really like crotons, but they are tricky and hard to find here in CA. You guys are lucky to have so many varieties in FL. I like the Fish bone. Is it a hearty variety? All of the Crotons I have with yellow do not drop any leaves in winter. The more colorful ones are hit and miss.

Aaron - I have seen your croton photos you posted on the Croton Forum. You are doing a great job! :greenthumb: In Florida we have rainy humid summers and dry winters. You get the opposite. My giving advice with your growing conditions may be erroneous. We see leaf drop in the winter as well. It does seem that larger leaved cultivars withstand cold better, but of course there are always exceptions. Often we end up completely defoliated after severe cold fronts but most make a full recovery. Whatever you are doing seems to be working so keep doing it. Seeing your before and after photos of your front yard, you could tuck some under your palms. A drip irrigation would also be beneficial for your crotons during your dry summers. Typically after three years in the ground, they seem to be able to withstand stresses much, much better. :yay:

Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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This is the cultivar known as Irresistable. While not very common, it is a sought after variety. The following photos are from 6 different gardens from around the State of Florida. As more and more of these plants get established and sharing ensues - this will be seen more often. It is a fabulous looking croton.

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Andeanum aka Canned Sunshine - this is a common hardy cultivar that has been around for a long time in Florida. The following photos are different examples found growing in 9 different gardens around the state. Although very common, it is a very nice colorful variegated plant! :blush:

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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very nice Ron... i suspect someday i will get a few of these...:)

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

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Bill - here are some photos of a local grower's plants (someone you may know) that usually has 150+ different cultivars available. :yay:

Most serious Florida croton collectors will recognize this shade house. The eye candy can be overwhelming. :wub:

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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This cultivar is known as Fishbone. It starts out as a green and yellow, the yellow variegation turns white with aging. Photos are from 4 different gardens. :)

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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This popular cultivar is known as Mrs. Iceton. It has also been named Appleleaf or Imperialist in the past. One of our Crotonheads did some research, he found that this cultivar was developed by a nursery in Belgium under the name Mrs. Eyeston. Has also been found in nurseries named Icetone and Icestorm. The following photos are from multiple gardens around the United States and abroad. A really beautiful croton that keeps maintains execllent colors in deep shade! :winkie:

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Yellow Mrs. Iceton - the yellow form (matures to white) that does not develope the pink pastel hues. :) From 5 different Florida gardens.

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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A very, very rare form of Mrs. Iceton - 'Miss Peters'. These are photos taken by Randy (Palm Island) when he visited the Longwood Gardens in Kennet Square, Pennsylvania. This cultivar really gets my "croton juices" flowing. Outstanding pastels with some hinting of purple!!! :drool:

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Miss Peters looks like a croton for people who don't like crotons. Of course you'd expect Longwood to grow them perfectly. I haven't visited them since I was in high school.

Fla. climate center: 100-119 days>85 F
USDA 1990 hardiness zone 9B
Current USDA hardiness zone 10a
4 km inland from Indian River; 27º N (equivalent to Brisbane)

Central Orlando's urban heat island may be warmer than us

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A few of mine :D

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"If you need me, I'll be outside" -Randy Wiesner Palm Beach County, Florida Zone 10Bish

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Hey Dave - I missed you at the Searle Brothers Extravaganza last month. :( The 'Miss Peters' looks like a plant for anyone who enjoys beautiful colors. :wub:

Next is Heaven. It previously was believed that this cultivar did best in the shade. Through serendipity it was found to do very well in strong sun, developing striking orange colors without scarificing leaf size. It can even take the harsh afternoon Florida sun, if kept shaded earlier. My plant experienced four days of 35F and 15 days when the temps never got out of the 40's F without any leaf drop. May be an indication that this cultivar may be somewhat "cold hardy" for a croton.

Randy - I will be starting an air layer on my plant for you in the Spring. It would be perfect for that area on the west side of your house we were talking about. It would be a nice addition to your already impressive collection. :greenthumb:

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Mrs. Snyder Disraeli ...

Introduced in the 1870s by Veitch and sons, British plant explorers. REF: Brown, B. Frank 1995 Crotons of the World p.62.

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Here is a sport on a plant in my garden. This appears to be the "Blotched Form" of Mrs. Snyder Disraeli. Unfortunately, the sport is very slow growing. Only one cutting of this rare form has so far been established. If I can keep it alive, perhaps more can get distributed to other gardens.

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Bravo is a relatively common croton. However, the Yellow Bravo is a rare cultivar. It is referred to by others as White Bravo. The yellow variegation turns to white as the leaf matures. These "Yellow Bravos" are from three different gardens in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, Florida. B)

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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My mom commented a week ago that back in the late 1950s in Tampa, there were crotons everywhere, far more than in Vero today.

But I think a lot of people are discovering that very young plants will make attractive beds for a good while (barring a really horrible freeze). One house at the beach has a pretty creative sort of English garden, done entirely in Florida-friendly plants. There's even a paradise tree. That garden has crotons about where you'd expect flowers.

Sure enough, Longwood has photos of 'Miss Peters' at their website.

Fla. climate center: 100-119 days>85 F
USDA 1990 hardiness zone 9B
Current USDA hardiness zone 10a
4 km inland from Indian River; 27º N (equivalent to Brisbane)

Central Orlando's urban heat island may be warmer than us

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I tried Mameys in mygarden but they did not do well. Maybe too much sun. I do like crotons. We had them in north Florida as a child. I am sure they were the old variety - Petra.

Which ones can take the most sun? Those are the varieties I should try. They are so much easiier than bedding plants - color all year.

Palmmermaid

Kitty Philips

West Palm Beach, FL

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I tried Mameys in mygarden but they did not do well. Maybe too much sun. I do like crotons. We had them in north Florida as a child. I am sure they were the old variety - Petra.

Which ones can take the most sun? Those are the varieties I should try. They are so much easiier than bedding plants - color all year.

Kitty - you are probably referring to Mammie. Alot of the Big Box Stores "latinized" the name to a very popular fruit much enjoyed in many hispanic households. Brillant marketing, they are selling by the thousands. Mammie can endure full sun after a few years, it will not look that great until it adapts. Basically all the sun loving crotons prefer to have at least 1/2 a day of shading to look their best in Florida. The summer sun is just too harsh. Those planted in full sun all day tend to produce small leaves, leggy plants and washed out colors.

The only exception would be the cultivars Dreadlocks, it loves the blazing sun.

Here are some cultivars off the top of my head that do well with heavy sun exposure.

"Colored ones": Victoria Gold Bell, Mammie, Major Dade, Lord Bellhaven, Mother & Daughter, Andreanum, Corkscrew, Zanzibar, Multicolor, West Wall, Heaven, Red Excurrens.

"Green & Yellows": Lady Claire, Peace, Purity, Sun Burst, Yellow Petra, Yellow Mammie, Yellow Excurrens, Eburneum, Her Highness, Fishbone, General Paget, Green & Gold, Gold Dust, Maculatum Katoni, Yellow Banana.

You can find photos of most of these on the Wiki at Palmpedia. net :)

Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Some more "Green & Yellows" that do well in heavy sun: Twist & Point, To the Left, Eleanor Roosevelt.

Another "colored" cultivar that can take full sun: Ram's Horn

Here are some Madam Butterfly, from several gardens scattered around Florida. This variety keeps its color in heavy shade and is relatively cold hardy for a croton. :)

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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My mom commented a week ago that back in the late 1950s in Tampa, there were crotons everywhere..

They're still here Dave. Of course, only the hardiest cultivars can withstand the test of time in our neck of the woods.

Tampa, Interbay Peninsula, Florida, USA

subtropical USDA Zone 10A

Bokeelia, Pine Island, Florida, USA

subtropical USDA Zone 10B

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Wow Ron, some great photos. I've never seen pastel croton's before, they are eye-poppers. Thanks for the holiday post.

Tim

Hilo, Hawaii

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Eburneum, a cultivar that does well with a strong sun exposure.

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Pink Eburneum - can take stong sun exposure but looks better with at least half a day shading.

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Victoria Gold Bell from several gardens throughout Florida. Has an unusual interrupted leaf characteristic. Best that this croton recieves only half a day exposure to sun, preferably morning sun for outstanding pink colorations.

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Here are some from my garden. :greenthumb: These are considered to be very uncommon to rare cultivars. :wub:

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Claude Lorraine Pop's Yard Colonel Bob Bullock

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Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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Are there any crotons that can survive 9b winters? I could give them some protection till they get larger if that would allow them to survive.

Darkman in Pensacola - Looking for cold hardy palms and plants that make Pensacola look tropical

Life - Some assembly required, Side effects frequently experienced, Mileage may vary, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong!

Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable!

Statistics - Opinions that analyst twist to support the insanity of those that pay them.

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Darkman - When you encounter a few weather events that drop into the low 20's, they may not survive. If they were heavily mulched, the crotons could sprout from the base after those events. Go to Palmpedia.net and then to the croton forum, there are some crotonheads that are more experienced growing these plants simular to your cooler conditions.

Peyton (Crotonologist) is in Louisiana and has a very nice collection. Probably has parallel growing conditions like yours.

Ron (RonDEZone7a) is in Delaware. He grew up in South Florida and took his love of crotons north to Delaware. In the winter, he harbors all his plants in a sun room with a southern exposure. Many of his crotons are 20+ years old. In the Spring when he arranges everything out on patio, you would swear that the setting was in a tropical oasis.

Sergey (Sergey) is in Siberia, Russia. He grows, hand pollinates and produces unusual seedlings all in his basement under grow lights. An amazing accomplishment in my opinion.

All these guys would be most helpful to you with their experiences and cultivation tips. There are alot of others from the Tampa / St. Pete area on the forum as well. :greenthumb:

Here are some more hard to find cultivars in my garden ... :wub:

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Columbiana

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Maryland

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Inca

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Tiger Eye

Best regards,

Ron

Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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I love crotons but dont know their names.This is one of my favorites growing at the beach.It is slow growing and actually needs shade. I see in post 12 one called Fishbone that certainly looks like mine. I really like Mrs.Peterson, that is a spectacular croton/ wish I could get cuttings.

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Edited by scottgt

El Oasis - beach garden, distinct wet/dry season ,year round 20-38c

Las Heliconias - jungle garden ,800m elevation,150+ inches rainfall, year round 15-28c

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