Coleusspp.
Every summertime , my deck is adorned with the vivacious multicolored leafage of coleus .
From vivid pinks to moody dark maroons , in an almost endless variety of patterns , these tropical plant make a substantial financial statement in bed , borders , and container .
And they ’re soft to arise . Ideal forbeginner gardener , they can be grow as perennial inUSDA Hardiness Zones10 - 11 , and as annual everywhere else .
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Members of themint menage , Lamiaceae , plant in theColeusgenus are related to kitchen garden herbs includingbasil , sage , andmarjoram , and they show off their colorful foliage from spring to first rime .
There are a huge variety of cultivar uncommitted , from muted light-green chromaticity to shiny red and yellows , the variegated foliage is available in almost every colouring except true blue angel .
Most type are shade - loving , and prefer just a little break of the day sunlight , however industrial plant stock breeder have developed a numeral of sun - large-minded varieties .
They typically have a mounding growth habit with fledged peak of up to three feet tall , and there are also trailing miscellany usable , idealistic forhanging baskets , growing as a ground cover , or spilling over the sides of large pots .
Also known as “ paint nettle , ” these beauties typically have more or less hairy , fleshy leaves with serrate edge up to six inches long and wide , with square stalks .
During the summer , plants grow flowering of small tubular bloom , which may be delicately fragrant .
If you have pet , please mention that coleus istoxic to cats , andiron , and horses .
Are you ready to arise flame nettle in your garden ? lease ’s get started ! Here ’s what I ’ll comprehend :
What You’ll Learn
Cultivation and History
Species in theColeusgenus are native to tropic and subtropical regions from southeast Asia to Australia , and are naturalized in many other tropical regions .
They were first bring to England in the 19th C , from Java , by Karl Ludwig Blume .
They became very popular in the US and Europe during Victorian sentence , as a bedding industrial plant and as specimen plant in the elegant parlors and hothouse of the well - to - do .
Savvy works breeders of the clip capitalized on this exuberance , producing different hybrid varieties in a cooking stove of colors and patterns , whichfetched richly pricesduring this so - called“coleus craze . ”
While ladies were delicately sipping tea and comparing foliage colors , botanists were arguing over taxonomic classifications , and we can only hope that a phyletic subject byAlan Paton et al , publish in 2019has cleared up the botanical naming once and for all : the popular plant that we grow in our garden isColeus scutellarioides .
But let ’s backtrack a little .
In 1763 , Carl Linnaeus classified this plant asOcimum scutellarioides . Does that surround a bell ? Basil , the pop garden herbaceous plant is a coinage in theOcimumgenus .
In 1810 , after confining examination , Robert Brown decided that it should be a penis of the genusPlectranthus . But George Bentham change it toColeusin 1830 . In 1832 , the flora that started the hysteria in Europe and the US was namedC. blumei , after Karl Ludwig Blume ( think back him ? ) .
And so coleus arrive its name and its genus . Well , until 1962 , when JK Morton from the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew , decided that what we were all calling “ coleus ” was not in factColeusat all , it wasPlectranthus .
Another wrench appear in the taxonomic whole kit and boodle in 1975 , when Leslie E W Codd , a South African phytologist , reclassify it yet again into the genusSolenostemon .
As a solution of all this taxonomic to - ing and fro - ing , you may see plants at local nursery labelledPlectranthus scutellarioides , Coleus scutellarioides , C. blumei , Solenostemon scutellarioidesor just plain “ coleus . ”
It ’s also deserving remark that in theColeusgenus , there are 294 species , many of which were transfer from thePlectranthusgenus as a termination of Paton ’s study publish in 2019 .
In plus to the popular flora we grow in our garden , there are a few other famed specie :
C. amboinicusis an herb , native to part of tropical Africa , Asia , and Indonesia , commonly known as Mexican slew , Cuban pot marjoram , or Spanish thyme . You canread more about cultivate this flavorful herb in our guide .
C. rotundifoliushas a tuberous root organisation and is grown in part of the tropics for its comestible tubers , cognise as native , Sudan , or Hausa tater in Africa , and Chinese potato in India .
C. barbartus , ( akaC. forskohlii ) is a medicinal plant used in Ayurvedic medicine , and the infusion forskolin is the subject of anumber of aesculapian studiesfor its habit in address a miscellanea of ailments .
C. canina , aka the “ scaredy - cat works ” is a clone ofC. comosus , an aromatic herbaceous plant native to eastern Africa . Garden folklore(or apt marketing ) suggests that it smells like a skunk and will drive back dogs and cats from your yard .
But let ’s get back to our garden pet : C. scutellarioides .
gratefully , in spite of all the botanical complication , coleus is soft to cultivate .
Coleus Plant Propagation
The easiest mode to get started growing your own coleus plants is to purchase nursery starts in outpouring . you could also buy source and start them indoors – or outdoors , if you are in Zones 9 - 11 .
It ’s not advisable to collect semen from existing plants , as many modern cultivar are cross and will not produce true to the parent plant , if the seeds are even viable .
If you do have a preferent plant that you wish to replicate , flame nettle is prosperous to propagate via stem turn cuttings .
From Seed
commence your seeds indoorseight to 10 weeks before your median last frost date . You ’ll require seeded player trays or small container , and a good quality , well - draining potting mix .
Fill your seed flats or containers with potting mix and place three or four of the flyspeck seeds on top of the soil . They necessitate light to pullulate , so mildly press them into the potting commixture , but do not cover .
You may need to use a heat mat , as coleus seeds need a consistent temperature of 70 - 75 ° F to burgeon forth . Place in a sunny windowsill and if want , you may breed the tray with a humidity cover or charge plate . If you use a humidity back , ensure the seed receive indirect light as direct sunshine will cause the seed to manipulate .
Keep the potting intermixture moist but not waterlogged . To preclude the seeds from washing away , you’re able to use a spray bottleful or plant mister to gently water the soil .
After seven to 14 days , germ will germinate , and at this item you’re able to dispatch the humidity covering , if using . Thin the seedlings so that there is one plant per seed flat or container . Keep the seedling in a sunny location and maintain even wet in the soil .
When they have two set of dead on target leafage , or are about two to three inches tall , transplant them from your seed flats to three- to four - column inch individual containers . Continue to leave even moisture , and never countenance the dirt to dry out out .
After they have at least six sets of reliable leave , or are about six inch tall , you may gently pinch out the uprise baksheesh to encourage bushy increment .
When all risk of frost has passed , you’re able to transfer them into the garden or a lasting container , as account below .
If you ’re in Zones 9 - 11 , you could pop out your seeds alfresco . Wait until all danger of hoarfrost has go along , and nighttime temperature are in the 60s .
Prepare your planting placement by poke up the top bed of soil and sum some potting mix on which to place the seed . Press the seeds lightly into the soil , and when seedlings have one set of honest leaves , thinly to six to 10 column inch aside .
From Stem Cuttings
Stem cutting take root easily , and this is a well path to make clones of your deary .
you’re able to take cuttings at any clip of twelvemonth , and what I especially wish to do is to take them in late summer tokeep indoors over the winter monthsso that by the time spring rolls around , my plant are ready to go !
reduce a four- to six - column inch section of stem with clean pruning shears , and slay the leaves from the bottom three - twenty-five percent of the cutting .
you could either place these in water to steady down or in pot soil . If you ’re using pot stain , dip the cut ending into powdered rooting hormone , make a hole in the soil and carefully establish the cutting .
Keep the cutting in a shiny emplacement , out of direct Dominicus , with temperatures between 60 to 75 ° fluorine . If you ’re acquire them in water , make certain to interchange it every couple of days . If they ’re in soil , keep it equally moist but not waterlogged .
After a workweek or two , roots should start to develop , and when they are an in or two long , you may transfer into a container filled with potting stain . You ’ll do it that your cuttings in grunge have successfully root when you see evidence of unexampled foliar growth .
Learn more about how to propagate flame nettle cuttings in our pathfinder . ( coming soon ! )
Transplanting
Whether you have rooted your own cutting , get down your own seeds , or purchased nursery starts , you ’ll need to wait until all danger of frost has passed before transpose them into the garden – or to permanent outdoor container .
Before transplanting , indurate off your seedlings by placing them outdoors in a protect location for an hour a day , step by step increasing this meter over the path or a calendar week or 10 day to acclimate the young plants .
Prepare your planting location in rise . As mention , many cultivar favour a part to full ghost position , although there are varieties that can permit more sun . Checkyour seed packetor nursery rag for the change you have select .
Select a sheltered location , where plants wo n’t be exposed to gamey winds , as they have ticklish stems that are well broken in windy locations .
You ’ll need well - draining , loose , organically rich soil with a pH of 6.0 - 7.0 . You may like toconduct a grime test , and make amendment according to the final result .
I prepare my bed by turning over the filth and adding well - rottedcompost . If you wish well , you could mix in some slow release 10 - 10 - 10 ( NPK ) fertilizer at planting time .
To transplant , grind a kettle of fish the same size as the container the works is growing in , and gently remove it from the sess . Place it into the ground at the same deepness as it was maturate in its existing smoke , and backfill with soil before watering in well .
You ’ll need to space your plant according to the expected matured size of the cultivar you are growing , typically I plant them eight to 12 inches aside . If you plant them too close together , they will not have enough airflow which can cause a build up of humidness , possibly leading to fungal infections .
I have sex to arise my coleus in containers on my covered deck of cards . You ’ll demand to make certain that you have a container large enough to adapt the expected fledged size of it of the plant , and allow for room for other plant in a mixed planting .
A good calibre , well - draining potting soil with append perlite is ideal .
As a lower limit , you ’ll desire a pot that ’s eight inch wide-eyed and deep for a single plant . If you want to plant more than one , or add some colorful annual flowers , then consider a large planter . Make certain your container has draining holes on the bottom .
Learn more about develop coleus in container here .
How to Grow Coleus Plants
flame nettle are low-spirited - sustainment , fast - acquire works that require little sweat from you to thrive .
The main consideration is to ensure they have plenty of water and are never allowed to dry out . However , that does n’t intend they require to be sit down in marshy filth .
Maintain even moisture , and if you ’re growing them in containers , be special vigilant , especially in red-hot conditions , as kitty dry out much more quickly than garden grime .
As a rule of quarter round , if the soil is dry to an inch down , it ’s clock time to water . They typically command about an in of water per week , let in rainfall . Not trusted how to mensurate that ? Take the guess out byusing a rain gauge .
endeavor to forfend overhead irrigation , as this can bestow to the spread of fungal pathogens that fly high in damp , humid environments .
Pinch off growing tips to encourage bushy growth , as these works can have a tendency to become a bit “ leggy . ” With veritable pinching , the plant life will produce more stems which gives it a more “ full ” appearance .
As far as pruning is pertain , you’re able to snip off stems ( and root them for more works ! ) to shape the flora and encourage it to become more impenetrable .
If you notice flush shuck emerging , cut back or twitch these off immediately , to force the plant life to put energy into the colourful foliage , or else of hive off it into the reproductive process .
you may fertilize during the originate time of year with a liquid houseplant fertilizer such as Alaska fish fertilizer , concord to packet instructions .
Last Frontier Pisces the Fishes Fertilizer
This is a 5 - 1 - 1 ( NPK ) plant food which will not cause the chocolate-brown floater on the foliage typical of a flame nettle that has been overfed .
you may find Alaska Pisces the Fishes fertilizeravailable at Home Depot .
If you are growing your plants in container , this fertilizer can be applied every two to three weeks . In the garden , two or three time during the growing season is usually sufficient .
Even though they are tropical plants that boom in temperatures between 70 - 100 ° fluorine , flame nettle may endure from sunscald if it ’s planted in direct sunlight . If you notice burnt folio edges , bleached , or translucent patches in the leafage , it may be as a event of sunscald .
Consider using some shade cloth to protect plants from the sunshine or move containers to a more suitable location , and guarantee industrial plant are well watered , as sunscald is made forged by short irrigation .
Growing Tips
Coleus Cultivars to Select
There are hundreds of unlike coleus cultivars , with new unity being developed all the time . In add-on to identify cultivars , various series are available with unique gadget characteristic in a variety of different colors .
Here are a few of my favorite , and you may register all about the best coleus cultivar in our scout . ( coming before long ! )
Black Dragon
With midnight - purple foliage , tinged with just a mite of red , and a compact growth habit , ‘ Black Dragon ’ pee-pee a dramatic impact in bottom , borders , and containers .
The small , deeply - lob leaves have an almost velvet-textured - like appearance , and this cultivar top out at just 10 to 12 inches tall , with a exchangeable spread .
It ’s ideal as a saturnine bedding plant , or as an accent to more colorful unfolding annual .
‘ sinister Dragon ’
The colour can vary calculate on the growing condition , sometimes appearing more dark red than purple .
you could find bundle of 1000 seedsavailable from True Leaf Market .
Chocolate Mint
‘ Chocolate Mint ’ has rich burgundy foliage with bright unripened border , highlight the serrate leaves .
‘ Chocolate Mint ’
It grow to a matured tallness of 12 to 20 column inch , with a spread of 12 to 14 inches . A shaggy-haired plant with a mounding growth habit , ‘ Chocolate Mint ’ thrives in full shade .
you could find set of six plants or 25 seedsavailable at Burpee .
Watermelon
‘ watermelon vine ’ is an optic - catching cultivar with vivid pink foliage with greenish margins stress with emollient flecks and deep red veins .
‘ Citrullus vulgaris ’
With a fledged elevation of 20 to 22 inches tall and a spread of 18 to 22 inch , it has a mounding increase habit and provides vivacious color to your garden or container .
you could find packets of seed or a set of four plantsavailable at Burpee .
require More Options ?
control out our pathfinder , “ 21 of the Best Coleus Varieties , ” to help you discover the best choice for your yard or garden .
Managing Pests and Disease
flame nettle works are typically not bothered by pestis and disease outlet , which are more vulgar in commercial-grade greenhouse surroundings , but the usual garden suspect likeaphids , spider mites , whitefly , andmealybugsmay induce price to the foliage and stunt the plants ’ growth .
Severe infestations that go undetected can have a chassis up honeydew melon , leading tosooty mould .
you’re able to habituate neem oil or insecticidal soap , according to package educational activity .
Bonide ™ Insecticidal scoop
Find Bonide ™ insecticidal soapavailable from Arbico Organics .
If you regain evidence ofslugs and snailsmunching on your plants , you’re able to set out slug bait or waste precious beer in trap . An practical software ofdiatomaceous eartharound the base of plants can aid deter these pests .
A disease to watch out for is puberulent mildew , due to theoomycete ( water mold)Pernospora , demonstrate up as folio distortion , dropping , and white or gray place on the top and bottom of the foliage .
Unfortunately , there is no cure for this disease and you ’ll take to remove infected plants and dispose of them in the trash to prevent it from spreading .
Powdery mould , the scourge of many gardener , but typically not disastrous , is characterized by a white covering that front a little bit as though the foliage has been dusted with flour .
This condition is triggered by a variety of unlike fungal pathogen and you’re able to read to treat it in our usher .
Best Uses for Coleus Plants
While I love my perennial borders , what I particularly enjoy about annuals is that I canchange up my color schemesevery year .
Coleus is idealistic for mass planting in those shady spot in the garden that often end up look a bit bare .
In addition to colour , coleus cater grain and can be used as a focal item , or to echo colors of other plant nearby .
The dense leafage can replete in spaces below large specimens in containers or out in the garden .
you may alsokeep your flame nettle as a houseplant , the same principle practice : preserve even moisture , regular alimentation , and collateral light .
Under ideal conditions , they may allow for you with year - round color .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Colorful Coleus
I buy my first ever coleus many years ago when Iactuallywanted acaladium . I was browsing a large nursery and discover the price of caladiums to be almost eye - watering .
And there , in a little pot , was something that looked – almost – as showy .
Affordable , forgiving flame nettle come into my animation and has been one of my favorite annuals ever since .
And for more information about plants to grow inshady touch in your garden , check out these templet next :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally print on November 29th , 2020 . Last updated April 11th , 2023 . ware pic via Arbico Organics , Burpee , Home Depot , and True Leaf Market . Uncredited photo : Shutterstock .
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Clare Groom
