When I made the decision that I was going to make my garden a native/exotic mix, it was with the stern admonition that I wouldnt go overboard with colour. A sea of green highlighted by a few tastefully composed beds containing Cordylines and Crotons, with the Broms around my Poinciana rounding out the 'terrific threesome' of tropical gardens everywhere.

If Croton breeders hadnt bought so many new varieties to market, I might just have been able to stick to this. Its just so easy to be seduced by some of the colour/leaf pattern combinations - I can now see why many of the older generation go overboard with entire Croton hedges lining their front fences.

I'd like to thank the members who advised me that I could cut my old-fashioned crotons right back - they have new leaves which are more vibrant than ever. All I have to do now is stay away from the Sunday Markets :)

Cheers,

Artie

Whilst having a single specimen of every croton on earth would be an achievement, I dont believe that it would result in a restful, harmonious garden. My intent was always to use crotons as accent plants with a very narrow focus, not as feature plants (my tree ferns and cycads fill that role in the understorey, at least in that part of the garden).

For all my protestations, its always a delight to see something new and spectacular, particularly when its unexpected. Some of the Cordyline Fruticosa hybrids which make their way to Rocky are just gorgeous, yet my friend sees them as 'horrible sticks with a few pretty bits at the top'. Hmmm - that could very well summarise my opinion of *roses* !

Horses for courses, Dee, and we all know what horses produce - fertiliser :)

Artie don't you think that too much of one thing is a trifle boring, "You know variety is the spice of life" and what you say < A sea of green highlighted by a few tastefully composed beds containing Cordylines and Crotons, with the Broms around my Poinciana rounding out the 'terrific threesome' of tropical gardens everywhere. > sounds good to me would love to see some photos of your garden do you have a digital camera......Cheers...MM.

As for roses being the 'Queen of Flowers', I know that I am probably alone, but I think there are better choices in the hot and humid East Coast:

Grevilleas
Camellias
Gardenias

Not sure about some of the more exotic options such as Plerls, but then I've never been much for plants which are maintained primarily for their flowering display. The big advantage of something like a Gardenia is that it has really attractive foliage - the sight of rows of thorny, severely pruned rose bushes in Winter beds is the antithesis of what I want in a garden. I know that this approach isnt necessary for all roses, but it does seem to be widely used to reinvigorate the plants each season. I can take a third off all of my Grevilleas (again, good practice with the tropical varieties) and it will still be an attractive bed - the lack of scented blooms is a price that I am willing to pay.

Getting back to the Cordys, I find the bare stems quite appealing : the rings which define the plant's successive leaf drop become more pronounced as it gets older, and this particularly pronounced on the darker specimens. As I said, horses for courses :)

By 'FNQ', I am assuming that you are in Cairns or T'ville - not sure how economical it is to have plants freighted up there when you must have local breeders who can turn out any of the different Codiaeum hybrids.

Failing that, I am doing the rounds of the nurseries here in Rocky tomorrow, and I'll make a special effort to check on their croton stocks.

Cheers,

Artie

Sorry to hear that nurseries up there seem to have lost the plot :)

OK, I am a tad frustrated at not being able to find more info online, but the new varieties seem to be marketed under the 'Colours of Afrika' and 'HN' labels, but pumping either into Google doesnt give me what I want - contact details. Punching in the names of various hybrids ('Carnival Clown', 'Rio Carnivale' etc) is equally fruitless, so all I can suggest is that you ring Neil Fisher at Fisher's Nursery:

Fishers Nursery Garden Centre
425 Rockonia Rd North Rockhampton 4701
(07) 4928 2440
Fax (07) 4928 2999
Mobile Service 0408 282 440

Neil is frequently sidetracked due to his workload, but when he told me that he is off to a conference with some serious croton collectors, I believed him. He may very well know someone in your neck of the woods who can help you out - as he points out, some of the best croton hybrids have been developed right here in Oz, and a lot of the knowledge is found in backyards rather than nurseries.

The crotons I bought from Neil have been an excellent addition to the garden - they are the varieties with the thin, 'shredded paper' style leaves that look decidely weird in the pot but awesome in the garden. Its amazing how much these plants have lifted a couple of spots which were in danger of becoming a little ho-hum :)

Happy collecting,

Artie

When I see something that startling, I really have to ask myself if I am looking at a healthy plant. I have a Dieffenbachia which resembles the plant that you describe, but it shouldnt look like that - it has simply had way too much sun !

My own paranoia aside, I'm sure the breeders have achieved some stunning effects over the years.

Cheers,

Artie

I suspect that crotons will make the most of almost any feed that they are given, but I tend to stick with the milder organics simply because I dont want to damage any of their neighbours. Neil Fisher has turned up some absolute crackers recently, and I'm happy to report that several of them have found a place in my garden. I've gone from looking at crotons and wondering if I could find a spot for them to looking at green foliaged plants and asking myself how well they would set off my crotons :)

Cheers,

Artie