Croton 'Gold Dust'

I love my gold dust plant and I just learned that supposedly I'm not supposed to be able to grow it here in zone 8!? I saw this plant gro...Read Morewn as a large bush at the neighbors house as well as another person's house a few neighborhoods away. I bought this plant several years ago and now it is a tall, somewhat narrow bush. I guess it is a bit tree-like rather than the wide bush looking one I saw next door.

I noticed that sometimes one of the side branches will turn black and shrivel up and die. I used to think it was just a finicky plant, but now I'm guessing that was cold damage!

This plant is underneath a large oak tree and when it was first planted, there were no other plants surrounding it for protection but now I have an evergreen and some rice paper plants growing around it. Perhaps that is why it is looking happier. I had no idea!

So this plant might still work for you even if you are in zone 8 like me.

One of the easiest plants to grow in South Florida. They require water every 2-3 days for the first month or so after planting them, afte...Read Morer that, I just leave them alone. I have them in full or partial sun. In deep shade they will lose all variegation. Home Depot always has them and they are 7.99-8.99 for big ones in a 3 gallon pot.

I had a semi circle hedge with these, planted around 2 Buccaneer Palms 10' from the open Atlantic Ocean. They can take salt air, salt spay and even some salt water violation of their roots. At one time during a little tropical storm, at high tide and with a South wind, their roots were under salt water for about an hour. They looked horrible, all the leaves fell off, I cut them back, flushed the soil and within 1-2 weeks leaves sprouting all over the place. 2 of them, that were in the front got more sun, struggled. I removed those and planted 2 new ones and put the struggles back in some dense shade. They came back, they are still there. I cut them back a little each year. I really don't want them but I feel they made it, I have to keep them.

I eventually removed them simply because they were getting too large and I need more room for my dogs to be able to run and play. The dogs missed them at first, they were their favorite shady bushes to lay under.

I also have 2 in 2 big pots on my ocean side patio. They get no direct sun in the summer, very bright light, Southern exposure, no sun. They maintain the gold dust. Once in a while I sit them in full sun for a few days to really bring out the yellow. In the winter months I remove them and plant Sun Impatiens and each May the Sun Impatiens begin to look really ragged so I toss them and replant the Crotons in the pots. I winter them in 5 gallon pots in full sun.

You just cannot beat them for summer ocean side color without a lot of water..... They can go for weeks without water and not wilt.