Three houseplants chosen for leaf colour rather than flowers, giving orange and red, lime and cream all year.
Codiaeum variegatum 'Petra', the croton, carries bold leathery leaves splashed with yellow, orange, red and green, and holds that colour only in a properly bright spot. Maranta leuconeura 'Lemon Lime', the prayer plant, is low and spreading, with soft green leaves marked in lime and dark green that fold upwards in the evening. Ficus elastica 'Belize' is a variegated rubber plant, upright and tree like, with broad glossy leaves flushed pink, cream and deep green.
Because the croton needs the most light of the three, treat the set as a bright indirect light group and keep all three out of direct sun. Water when the top few centimetres of compost have dried and never leave a pot standing in water. They want warmth and humidity, so mist now and then or stand the pots together, and keep them away from cold draughts and radiators. Feed once a month from spring to early autumn. None of the three will take a room below about 12C.
Supplied as three established plants in 1 litre root balls, ready to pot into containers of your own. The croton and the ficus are harmful if eaten and their sap irritates skin, so keep them away from children, cats and dogs.
Cultural Information
Common Name: Croton, prayer plant and variegated rubber plant
Fully Grown Height and Spread: Croton 60 to 90cm; maranta 30 to 40cm; ficus 100 to 150cm indoors
Growth Habit: Upright and bushy, low and spreading, and upright tree like
Perfect For: Bright living rooms, shelves, hallways and conservatories
Foliage: Yellow, orange, red and green; lime and dark green; pink, cream and deep green
Flowering Time: Grown for foliage
Planting Position: Bright indirect light indoors, out of direct sun
Soil Type: Free-draining, peat-free houseplant compost
Hardiness: Tender, indoor only; keep above 12C
Maintenance: Moderate; the croton and the ficus dislike being moved or chilled
Seasonal Interest: Evergreen foliage
Type: Houseplant collection of three plants
