Colorful Tropical Foliage Plants – Croton Plants And Caladium Plants

 
For everybody interested in colorful tropical foliage plants....


*Codiaeum variegatum*, also called “Garden Croton” or “Variegated
Croton”, is a species of plants in the genus Codiaeum, a member of the
Euphorbiaceae family.


These colorful tropical foliage plants look great when grown in pots and
grouped together with other tropical plants, including dwarf bananas,
bromeliads, gingers, gardenias, small heliconias, hibiscus, jasmine,
orchids or plumeria plants.


[image:
http://a4578bxyqrmka19x.info/resources/_wsb_250x333_Croton $2C+July+2011.jpg]


Croton plants are known for their colorful foliage which has a waxy
texture with vertical growth and leaves facing outwards. The more sun or
bright light Croton plants receive, the more colorful their foliage
becomes.


Crotons need to be watered well with the soil remaining moist. They
prefer to be grown in high humidity and benefit from daily misting when
the humidity is low.


When fertilizing Croton plants any fertilizer high in Nitrogen, like
9-3-6 is recommended.


Crotons belong to the family of Euphorbiaceae and are therefore
considered poisonous. The sap may cause skin eczema and is also toxic if
ingested.


Popular varieties of these colorful tropical foliage plants include
-Codiaeum variegatum ‘Gold Moon’, Codiaeum variegatum ‘Gold Sun’,
Codiaeum variegatum ‘Goldfinger’, Codiaeum variegatum ‘Grubell’,
Codiaeum variegatum ‘Petra’- and -Codiaeum variegatum ‘Excellent’-.


Croton plants, when grown outdoors, have to be protected or brought
indoors if the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit or 10
degrees Celsius. Otherwise leaf drop may occur.


Another great group of colorful tropical foliage plants are *Caladiums*.
Caladium is one genus of plants in the Araceae family.


[image:
http://a4578bxyqrmka19x.info/resources/_wsb_250x298_Caladium $2C+July+2011.jpg]


Currently there exist over 1000 cultivars of Caladium bicolor which is
considered the original Caladium from South America.


Caladium plants have been cultivated in Europe since the eighteenth
century.


Popular varieties of these colorful tropical foliage plants include
-Candidum White, Cardinal Red, Carolyn Wharton Pink, Fannie Munson Pink,
Frieda Hemple Red, Postman Joyner Red, Roselight Pink, White Queen- and
-Rojo Red-, to name a few.


Croton and Caladium plants can be grown outdoors during the warmer
months of the year and indoors as house plants the rest of the year.

Caladium plants are only hardy in zone 9 and 10. In colder regions they
have to be dug up in fall. They also make great house plants year
round.


[image:
http://a4578bxyqrmka19x.info/resources/_wsb_250x327_Summer+51.jpg ]


While actively growing Caladium plants need a great deal of moisture and
should not be allowed to dry out.


As with Croton plants it’s best to use a fertilizer high in Nitrogen,
like 9-3-6 and mist their foliage daily if the humidity is low.


All parts of Caladium plants are considered poisonous and may cause skin
irritations in sensitive individuals.


I hope you’re already enjoying your Croton and Caladium plants. If not,
give them a try and brighten up your plant stand indoors or add that
needed color to your outdoor garden.




--
BobWalsh

 
BobWalsh;932966 Wrote:

I was wanting to grow some 'tropical plants'
(http://tinyurl.com/69xwtp2 ), flowers out on my deck. Any suggestions on
flowers? I live in Nebraska and my deck I believe will be fairly shaded
from direct sunlight  I would like to grow some nice colorful flowers
out on my deck though, any suggestions?




--
Earle25