Coleus
Coleus (Coleus x hybridus) offer an incredible of foliage colors, shapes, and sizes. The leaves may be velvety or rough and crinkled, deeply notched or round and full. They may be one solid color or several colors in varying shades of pink, red, bronze, yellow, maroon, green, and chartreuse. The square stems grow 6 to 36 inches tall. Small blue or lilac flower spikes appear throughout the summer and should be removed to conserve the plant’s energy. Keep the plants bushy by periodically cutting the stems back several inches. Coleus are ideal as edging plants, as well as in flower beds, pots, and window boxes. They grow best in medium to light shade, with a rich, well-drained soil that is kept evenly moist.
Coleus propagate easily from stem cuttings. Cuttings made in the fall can be grown indoors over the winter, and planted outdoors in the spring after the late frost. They can also be grown from seeds, but no two plants will be alike. Start the seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before planting the seedlings outdoors. Pinch off flowers to keep flower growing vigorously. Some new cultivars stay dense without pinching back. Native to Java and the Philippines, coleus are grown as annuals in most areas of the country, since they are damaged by even the lightest frost.
