Crotons are tropical plants that will suffer both from frost and excessive, arid heat. (Think southernmost Florida and beyond.) If they were not severely damaged, is possible they still have some life in them. If the stems are still firm and green, you can transplant them up and move them inside to a frostfree location.

There is (I'm sure) an immense variety of plant life you can grow in central Texas. Though, many of the plants you were accustomed to in the East, will not thrive (or may not perform as robustly)in central Texas. You need to contact a few local nurseries and talk to your neighbors. PS. As a recent transplant, I'd leave out your "Tex sux" conclusion while mixing with the locals. Good luck!

If you want to garden in Texas, I suggest you post on the Texas Gardening Forum. I am sure the local gardeners will be glad to steer you in the right direction.

Crotons want shade at noon, will defoliate completely in a freeze, but should have back nicely if you cut them back hard.

You'll also want them in an organic soil mix with low pH for best color.

Here is our collection of Crotons.

Thanks for the advice all. I hope they'll come back strong this spring, time will tell! Also, my comment about TX was merely about the difficult climate, nothing more.

Hevykevy welcome to Texas! And I agree, the climate can be a real burden. But that being said, when you get lemons, make lemonade!

I moved here last year and ran into much of the same stuff you're experiencing. But don't be discouraged! A ton of fantastic plants can be grown in your area. Almost any type of garden style you'd like.

It's all about plant selection, making sure you have the right soil and understanding that certain things may die down to the ground in the winter or maybe even need to be brought into the garage for protection.

On my end I'm a tropical guy. I grew up in Miami and need that tropical look. I grow banana, canna, elephant ear, Queen palms and crinium lily, bamboo and plenty of grasses.

Almost all of that stuff dies to the groud in winter, so I'm interplanting perenial shrubs like boxwood to maintain a nice appearence in the yard during winter.

But come on over to the Texas forum and say hello. Abolutely great people. 1/2 of my plants were actually given to me by Texas gardeners. Next year I'll also be trading and sharing. I don't expect to use HD for a while.

Good luck with you croton. I did the exact same thing, accept mine was left in a big pot. the stems are still pretty "beefy". Maybe there is still some hope?

For us crotons will not work in the yard. My favorite plant is the canna lily. But one plant I'd recomend to replace the croton in your yard is the Esperanza.

It's a Texas favorite. For one, it grows like a weed with little atttention, loves the Texas climate. It's normally one of the first plants to bloom, and blooms continously till the first freeze. It has beautiful yellow flowers and bright green leaves that give it a tropical flavor "in my opinion".

Good luck and happy gardening!

Here is a link that might be useful: