My try with Petra no.2

It's a very healthy specimen. Is it in full sun? My Mammy lost it's leaves when the neighbor cut her tree back to the trunk leaving my plant in full sun. Most Crotons like only partial sun to look there best. My big Angel Wing Croton in the front yard is looking excellent in semi-shade where it's been for years.

Its full sun sort of. Its in the driveway and that gets all the afternoon sun from 11 or 12 noon. It takes high heat for them to sunburn. My others only got a little burn when we hit 98f+.
Its probably a folly...but they are so great looking and 2 for $34 dollars is less then a tank of gas!

That's probably good for them there. As the sun is not as intense as it is here. Also, I think the reason why my Mammy burned is because the temps were in the upper 80's and low 90's in January with very low humidity.

My Mammy would wilt in summer when it was in the mid-90's even with humidity. I think it's because it is growing in a pot. The roots get too hot.

It was in the 80's and ..not a bit of sunburn on these plants considering they were indoors pre purchase. Actually,Curly Boy looks like it might prefer a bit less. Petra loves sun in the bay area.

Luckily, you don't get the Santa Ana conditions there. It's usually 80 degrees by 8:00 a.m. with 5 to 10 percent humidity. This is what causes a lot of damage to my plants. These conditions can burn the hardiest plants, trees, unfortunately(it's even burned my plumerias and desert rose). I've been better at moving the plants out of the sun during Santa Ana Wind conditions. These condition have actually killed my plants, tree in the past.

I may have to get a Petra, especially if it like the hot, full sun.

I remember back in the mid 2000's a guy named Epicure in San Diego who would post his garden on the net. He was ahead of the curve back then. He had a few Crotons in ground and by 2007 some had reached fence tall. He also had a Mango in a 40 gallon pot that gave him a couple dozen Haden mangoes a year. He also had some Florida Grapetree/shubs going. They looked like larger leafed Ficus petiolaris. He stopped posting years ago. I wonder what happened?

I remember him on the PalmTalk website. He had some really nice exotic plants.

I think you meant: Sea Grape lol! (Coccoloba uvifera), which there's many large ones at the San Diego Zoo. I have them posted on GoY.

I remember he had a large, beautiful Tahitian Gardenia (my friend has one, also in the ground). I'll have to get a photo of it next time I go to his house. It's located under his Wodyetia I just posted last week.

People sometimes post then don't post anything for years and then they're back. You know how it is? ... :>))

Pouring rain today and last night. Still raining right now. There goes any garden fun. They say a brief warm to near 80f..then back more rain next Thursday.

Hows it in soucal?

I heard you had a lot of rain up there. I wish we got just a lot little rain...no such luck! Not a drop here in San Diego. :>((