Most cold-hardy Crotons - my selection (pics)

[Laisla87]

I have been growing a variety of crotons here and have been evaluating their performance. I have included the names of the varieties I know. These are the ones that grow the fastest, deal with the cold without dropping leaves and generally look good all year:

This "Bangkok Flame" is by far the strongest grower

No sure of it's name but this one is great, handles cold and is a fast grower

"Elaine"

(not sure of name)

When I say cold, I mean a couple of months with an average temperature range of 8 degrees celcius to 17 with intermittent rain.

I have tried others and lost them. "Mamey" was a particularly poor performer for me.

If anyone can recommend some other varieties I should try, it would be appreciated.

[Moose]

My recommendation would be http://www.palmpedia.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?26-THE-CROTON-SOCIETY

[Stevetoad]

I'm growing 2 that I have no idea what they are. I'm sure moose could tell me if I posted a pic. They have seen 26f under canopy with no damage at all. They're still small though.

[SubTropicRay]

Nice plants! The second photo looks like Franklin Roosevelt.

All of my croton cultivars see worse than 8C on a yearly basis albeit for short durations. With your minimum temps, there are only a few crotons that would not survive long term. In my experience, the most tender are The Moth, Florida Selecta, Super California and Princess Eugenia. Traditionally, some of the more hardy plants include Stewartii, Wooten's Beauty, Thanksgiving, Purity and Andreanum.

[gilles06]

can a variety be grown in Z9 mediterranean climate???