Eleanor Roosevelt, Sloppy Painter
Location
General Plants
Codiaeum variegatum
- Common name: Croton, Eleanor Roosevelt, Sloppy Painter
- Scientific name: Codiaeum variegatum
- Family name: Euphorbiaceae
- Origin: Indonesia
- Height: 4-6 ft
- Width: 4-6 ft
- Growth: Slow
- Zone: 9b-11
- Light needs: Full sun to partial shade
- Salt tolerance: Moderate
- Soil/pH/Texture: Can grow in many soil types as long as its well-drained. Prefers acidic soil (pH 4.5 – 6.5)
- Moisture: Humidity tolerant; should be watered regularly, but not overwatered
- Drought tolerance: High
- Pests/diseases: Mealybugs, scale, and thrips; mites and crown gall
- Growing conditions: Should be grown in moist and well-drained soil in sunny areas. Can be grown both indoors or outdoors. Indoors plants should be planted in a medium of peat moss and sand. This plant can be fertilized with a 3-1-2 ratio fertilizer to produce the best results.
- Characteristics: Leaves are long, narrow, thick, and glossy. The leaves are a saturated medium-green with yellow spots in a pattern that resembles paint splotches. Leaf color becomes brighter with more sun exposure. Leaves grow outwards radially from a central, woody stem.
- Propagation: By cuttings
- Facts: ‘Eleanor Roosevelt’ is one of many Croton cultivars. Other cultivars include ‘Zanzibar’ and ‘Petra’ and range from green to red in color.
- Designer considerations: Great as an accent or foundation plant, for mass plantings, or as an indoor plant.
