Gold Dust Croton

Gold Dust Croton (Codiaeum variegatum 'Gold Dust') earns its place on foliage alone: deep green leaves flecked with yellow gold, as though someone flicked paint at them. It builds a dense upright shrub around 1m tall and 80cm wide, slowly, which is part of the appeal in a pot. Note that the sap irritates skin and the plant is toxic to cats and dogs.

Why you'll love it

• Colour without flowers. The gold speckling holds all year, so a pot or a bed never has an off season waiting for something to bloom.
• It grows slowly and keeps its shape. In a 400mm pot it holds its proportions for years instead of outgrowing the position.
• Heat and humidity are its home ground. Heat tolerant and humidity tolerant, so a long humid subtropical summer does not faze it.
• Equally good inside and out. A feature pot indoors near a bright window, or a block of colour massed in a frost free garden.

Where it works best

Indoors as a feature. One plant in a 300mm to 400mm pot near a bright window, out of direct midday sun. That is where the leaf colour does the most work.

Feature planting outdoors. In tropical and subtropical gardens it holds a strong colour note against plain green foliage, in a sheltered spot with bright light and no frost.

Borders and edging. Set plants about 60cm apart, a little tighter than their 80cm mature width, for a low colour band along a path, clear of where pets and children brush past.

Growing Gold Dust croton in Australia

Position and climate. Bright light drives the gold speckling, and in shade it fades back to green. It is frost tender: outdoors it is a tropical and subtropical plant only, and everywhere colder it lives indoors or comes under cover for winter.

Soil. Free draining potting mix in containers, or well worked garden soil with compost through it. Crotons resent sitting wet, and cold wet roots are what kills them over winter.

Water and feed. Keep the mix evenly moist through the warm months, watering once the top two centimetres dry, then ease right off in winter. A liquid feed every four to six weeks in spring and summer keeps new leaves brightly marked.

Pruning. Tip prune in spring to keep it branching low rather than going bare legged, and wear gloves, since the milky sap is a skin irritant. Leaf drop after a move or a cold snap is normal.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes in 140mm pots in packs of ten and 200mm pots in packs of six. The 140mm plants are young and largely single stemmed, the sensible buy for a border run. The 200mm plants are branched and ready to pot up.

Crotons dislike being moved, so expect a few lower leaves to yellow and drop in the first fortnight. That is a settling response, not a failure. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, minimum order of $300 before delivery, with our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Growing exotic plants indoors
• Designing a tropical garden that stays lush
• Browse the full tropical plants range
• More variegated foliage plants to pair with it

Common questions

Is it safe around pets and children?

No. The plant is toxic to cats and dogs if chewed, and the milky sap irritates skin and eyes. Plant it clear of paths, and wear gloves when you prune.

Why has my croton lost its gold colour?

Almost always light. In a dim position new leaves come through mostly green. Move it somewhere brighter, out of direct midday sun, and the colour returns on later growth.

It dropped leaves after I moved it. Is it dying?

Probably not. Crotons drop leaves after any change in light, temperature or watering, then reshoot once settled. Keep the watering steady and give it a month.

Can I grow it outside in Melbourne or Adelaide?

Not in the ground. It is frost tender and suited to tropical and subtropical gardens, so further south grow it in a pot that spends summer outdoors and winter inside.