Costa Farms Croton Petra Indoor Plant (2-Pack)

If your houseplant collection is a sea of green, the Croton Petra is here to shake things up. Its big, glossy leaves are veined in shades of yellow, orange, red, and deep green, giving any room an instant tropical jolt of color. This 2-pack from Costa Farms arrives in 6-inch grower pots, so you can flank a console table, brighten a pair of windowsills, or keep one and gift the other. Building a collection? See our picks for the best easy indoor plants.

Crotons are all about light: place them within a few feet of a bright south, east, or west window, and the more sun they get, the more vivid those leaves become. Water when the top quarter to half of the soil is dry and let any excess drain away, since they’ll sulk and drop leaves if kept too wet or too dry for long. They also love humidity, so a pebble tray or an occasional misting helps. Are crotons safe for pets? No: the listing marks them as unsafe for pets, so keep them out of reach of curious cats and dogs, or browse our pet-friendly plants instead.

Good to know: A few reviewers said their plants arrived smaller and less colorful than they expected. These ship at about 1 to 2 feet tall and mature to around 2 feet, and their colors deepen with bright light over time. It’s also normal for a croton to drop a few leaves after a move; keep its light and watering steady and it should settle in within a few weeks.

Styling tip: Slip each grower pot into a colorful cachepot (try terracotta, mustard, or deep blue) to make those leaves pop. Find more ideas in our favorite indoor planters and on our plants page.