How to Plant, Grow, and Care For Coleus Plants

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Coleus is a various bush , that grows well in shady areas/ Some varieties that can grow quite well in gay spaces . Growing coleus in your garden can provide that extra " pop " of people of colour that you may be missing . In this clause , evidence superior nurseryman and coleus partizan Laura Elsner instruct you how to plant , grow , and care for flame nettle !

Contents

Flowers come and go in a garden , but the foliage is constant . So it is important that the foliage in a garden is beautiful and interesting . That means when the flower fade there is still something that catches our heart . This is where coleus shines . Their foliation is so intricate and colorful that it rivals any flower in the garden .

But unlike a industrial plant that relies on a bloom to make its financial statement in the garden , coleus radiate all throughout the seasonwith leaf alone . These brightly colored plant can make excellent familiar in shadowiness gardens , or in areas that get full sun , depending on thecoleus miscellanea . There are many unlike options to opt from , make it a gardener ’s dream as a makeweight industrial plant or cosmetic ground cover .

While it istechnically a cutter perennial(zones 11 + ) , for most regions in the United States it will be one-year . Use it in containers to liven up annual and mixed repeated bed . The colors of their leaves will be indisputable to attract aid .   have ’s prod intohow to plant , originate , and like for flame nettle , so you may add them into your garden orshade gardenand create a colorful harmony all throughout the time of year .

Coleus Plant Overview

Plant History

Dutch botanist Karl Blume discovered and institute the coleus back from Java to Europe in the 19th C . It became a widelypopular plant in puritanical Englandas a traditional bedding out plant . It made its way over to the United States around the same metre and gained the same popularity as a traditional bedding plant in a Victorian stylus garden .

Coleus was originally name Coleus Blumeii , But in the mid 2000s   the Latin name has changed and now coleus goes under the scientific name Solenostemon Scutellariodes . This is due to plant scientist finding different traits and dividing industrial plant into smaller family because of similar trait . Plants are always shift in the botanic earth . However , gardener and industrial plant enthusiasts usually keep to original names . So coleus it is .

Unlike roses or genus Hosta that have specific organizations that manage and superintend Modern unveiling , there is n’t an prescribed organization appertain to coleus . So it ’s hard to pinpoint specific cultivars . There can be various spellings and name of the same cultivar . Coleus remain a bit cryptical , but beautiful nevertheless . So let ’s toil intohow to take and grow beautiful flame nettle for your garden .

Cultivation

There are almost 300 species of flame nettle . Some came over from thespecies plectranthus .   It ’s really unvoiced to get a number for how many varieties there are as there is no official organization for flame nettle .

But there is flame nettle for everyone . From sunshine varieties to ones that perform best in tint . There are upright one and low - lie tail ones . Some flame nettle have enceinte leaves , some have modest leaves , and some have ruffled or elongate leaves . They get in almost all colour , except gamy . I guarantee you will notice coleus that will suit your personal tastes and weather .

Propagation

One of the biggest benefit of mature and naturalize coleus is that it isridiculously easygoing to propagate . Coleus is also widely usable to purchase and in my experience , they are gaining popularity so rule special varieties is even soft than before . Here are some methods to find coleus for your garden .

I ’ll start with the easy way , go to thegarden center or greenhouse / nurseryand leverage one . They usually will be in stock when all of the know out annual are in stock in your area . opt one that catches your eye . But also consider how you will be using it . There are tumid variety that are grandiloquent and appear heavy as the thriller in a container . There are small low - lying drop behind I that can spill out of containers .

However , there are also coleus varieties that perform well in the sun , and well in the tint . Choose the one you wish and that suits your indigence in the garden . Or be like me , and just grease one’s palms a bunch of them and concern about where they ’ll go later .

Rooting flame nettle is laughably sluttish . Simply cut off a new , green stem , andplop it in body of water and it will rout . It will live on indefinitely in a vase of water .

If the plan is to take cuttings and grow them in grime , then I recommend you get them grow in the ground before they organize giant solution in piss . I find the big their roots , the harder it is for them totransition intothe soil . I prefer to get them into the grime right away .

To do this take your immature clipping that has either been new cut , or been in the piddle just long enough tosprout a few small roots and dip it into rooting internal secretion . This is n’t necessary , but I do find it really facilitate get the roots go quick . Then place the newspaper clipping into evenly moist potting soil .

Cover the clipping either with a plastic bean lid , or dish , and impart it away from the sunshine for around a workweek . After a week , take the covering and move to the sunlight . Keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy through this entire process . You will be able to see that the first two sets of leaves have perked up if the rooting was successful .

Starting coleus from seed is a jolly easy task . receive some coleus germ from a reputable source . Coleus does not amount in electric purpleness or blue . This drive me nuts because some vendor will have these brainsick plants on their websites and they are not actual . If they look too near to be dependable , they probably are .

I recommend Wizard Mix or Fairway mixture as easy coleus seeds to amount by . Start your seed8 - 12 week before the last hoarfrost date . Place your seeds on an evenly moist soilless cum newbie . That is the best selection , but if that voice like too much , justuse evenly moist potting soil . By evenly moist I mean not soak through wet , you ca n’t squeeze urine out of it .

For containers , you may go fancy and buy a cum set off dome container . But yogurt and berry containers , or charge plate leftover containers work fine . Just be sure to poke hole in the bottom so the redundant wet can debilitate out .

Then light cover the coleus seed and commit them somewhere affectionate to germinate . flame nettle actually involve visible radiation to shoot , not full sun , just brightindirect light . I place my seeds on top of an older model refrigerator ( I was recently informed that new fridge do n’t get fond on top ) . Or I will put them on the counter where the dishwashing machine is as it provides a mo of bottom heat as well . Another option is to buy a seeded player germination mat , which I recommend if ejaculate start is your thing because it cut down on sprouting time on all sort of seeds byproviding warmth .

I see to it on my seeded player day by day . I set a timekeeper on my sound and just give them a quick baulk . Make certain they are n’t dried out or too loaded . As presently as you see sprouts remove the chapeau and bring them to light . This could take two workweek .

All seeds take off off with diminutive leaves that do n’t look like the flora they will become . This is called the cotyledon . Do n’t be appall that it does n’t look like sister flame nettle . The 2nd set of folio it pullulate , known as the lawful parting , will be minuscule coleus leaves . Keep them in vivid lightness , rotate them , and run your hands or blow on them , or even use a devotee tomimic the wind and beef up their stems .

Also , turn them so they do n’t grow tilted to the light . If your plant attend foresighted and leggy , they are n’t close enough to a scant source , the Lord’s Day or a grow twinkle . Let them grow and get bigger , keep them watered , but not wet . You canpull them apart into separate containers , or leave them growing in a mass . If you have too many , you will need to thin out some of the seedling . As they grow more set of leave you’re able to pinch them back so they grow bushier .

You drop all this time and try nurturing and caring for your sister flame nettle . The final frost is over and the weather is consistently above 50F(10C ) and you plant all your flame nettle . The next day it is jolt and horror . They are shriveled to nothing . All that surd work is go . This is because theyneed to be hardened off .

plant were grow indoors ( this goes for cut begin indoors as well ) are not used to the full sun and wind and weather . They demand to be easy introduced . Do n’t skip this step . It withdraw a hebdomad or less and it see to it your plant life are ready to face the element . I bring my flame nettle inside over the wintertime and then back out in the summer and theyneed to be re - hardened every spring .

bug out by bringing your seedling out for a couple of hours . Leave them in the shade , then fetch them back in overnight . Then bring them out for a bit longer the next day , then back in . Then slowly add some mottled sunshine . If everything look in effect , leave them out overnight . Then add more sun . Then they should be quick to go . If at any time they get droopy or discolourise , fetch them into the shade . Keep them watered well throughout the process .

Your flame nettle infant are now quick to be found in the garden , In the next section , I will guide you through right conditions to get the most out of your newly grow coleus throughout the time of year .

Planting

Planting coleus is a very sluttish subroutine . pluck the sodding location(read the how to grow department to discover that perfect point ) . Now take your flame nettle and gently tip it out of its container . They can have delicate stems that you do n’t desire to go against . Do n’t vex if you circumstantially relegate one , they regrow quickly . If the roots are modest just take them and plant them up to the crown ( where the grime meets the bow ) then gently covered them in soil .

If the coleus is really root obligate in the containermake indisputable to ‘ crack ’ the roots . That is to say , break them apart . I normally rip them in half once again . This allows the roots to grow down into the soil and not just roll around until it chokes themselves . Now water well . If you have the option , try and institute on a coolheaded cloudy daytime , or in the early morning or former evening . I ’ve planted in the heat of the mean solar day , and it ’s OK , but it shoot them longer to perk up , recover and start growing .

How to Grow

I do know some people have no luck with coleus , they find that they decompose and snap and fade away away . I do n’t normally have any problems with mine because I prefer mylocation and the condition they will be in cautiously . If you have them grow in their optimal conditionsthey can grow big and lush . Here ’s what they necessitate .

Sunlight

flame nettle is traditionally thought of as ashade industrial plant . It ’s dead on target , they do great in the tincture . But there have been a lot of young intromission that love the sunshine . When pick out coleus do some research on if it is a sunshine variety , or asun / tad variety .

Full shade is define in the garden as 4 hours or less of sun . Most plants , even shade works , do not like the full gloomy shade . Some variety show of flame nettle however do well in shady condition . I use coleus in some planter that receive so little Lord’s Day that even begonias wo n’t flower . But somehow flame nettle will flourish .

It does n’t spring up to its full size voltage , but itprovides a little dada of colour in a sullen area . I recommend salmagundi that are smaller and more green / white for full shade . Like Wizard ‘ Jade ’ or Wizard ‘ Rose ’ are good choices for full shade locations .

This area of 3 - 6 hour of direct sun that part shade / part Lord’s Day offers is large for coleus . This is a dappled specter garden that receives morning or evening Lord’s Day , but lots of tribute from the rough afternoon sun . This will also make coleus with wad of colour variation in their leaves show the dependable . In full shade , all the greens , whites , and yellowness are more prominent .

In full Sunday the reds , pinks , and Burgundy become the rife color . But in partial sun / shade , all the colors will come along more evenly . In a multifariousness such as El Brighton , where there are so many intricate colors , post it in a part shade / sun localisation will insure all the vividness can be seen . A spot that receives morning sun , or tardy good afternoon sun is great for part nicety / Dominicus .

Some of the newer miscellany of flame nettle , such as the ColorBlaze series , have been made for the sun . These flame nettle get big and are bright . All the reds , pink , and burgundies become intense in full sun . Take ColorBlaze golden dreams , in a shadowed spot it is a apparent green color . contribute some sun and it has veins of a dark burgundy . In full sun the center of its leaf will turn a bright burgundy color with a little golden - chicken margin .

I ’m not get to say one is better than another , they all look skillful , but it is something to consider when you ’re front at your flame nettle . Coleus in full sun will have more intense dark colors than ones in the tone . If the leaves are getting bleached out or crispy , it ’s a sign of too much sun . Even flame nettle think of for full sun do appreciate a second of mottled shade protection from that extra acute good afternoon sun . Also , sunshine - have intercourse coleus varietieswill require more water system to keep them happy .

Watering

Coleus is divas when it comes to piss , theydo not stomach long periods of drought . The consequence you see the star sign your coleus postulate water , go body of water it . Do n’t wait , they go past the degree of no income tax return real quick .

The amount of water will depend on the amount of sun the flame nettle is in . Coleus planted in the full sun needs importantly more waterthan flame nettle in a full shade location . When your coleus needs a drink its parting will loll and it will look sad . Once it acquire a good soak , it will perk back up . On a hot daytime , you may be water coleus in the full sun one or more times a daylight ( reckon on pot size , soil , and the intensity of sun exposure ) . Full shade coleus might only need a soaking once a week .

This is where I mean most hoi polloi go unseasonable with flame nettle . Watering is very authoritative and it ca n’t be too little , but on the flip side , it ca n’t be too much . Coleus do not like being constantly waterlogged , this is where they decompose at the fore and dissolve to nothing .

Keep an heart on your coleus and figure out the sweet spot and stick to that watering schedule . This sounds a lot more intimidating than it really is , you ’ll find a groove . chance are if you have other annuals with your coleus , they like the same amount of pee . freshly planted coleus will require more water for the first few week as they are get their root word established . Keep a closer eye on them .

Soil

Coleus likeslight and fluffy grunge full of organic thing . To check to see if your soil is too obtuse grab a handful of it and squeeze it in your hired hand . If the territory stays in the shape of the egg , you have heavy clay grime . If the soil just crumbles by and does n’t harbour its form , it ’s light . However , if you have heavy soil , use peat or coconut coir ( I prefer coir as it is a renewable resource whereas peat moss is not ) to lighten garden soil . Just work this in with your regular ground .

Toadd nutrients to the soil , choose compost , aged manure , seas grime , or louse molding . Just top dress your beds that have already been machinate with peat / coir ( if necessary ) . Topdressing means you do n’t ask to till it in , just put it on top and irrigate it in and all the nutritious goodness will seep down . Do this either in the former spring or the belated fall .

If you live in an area without defined seasons , sprinkle compost around the base of the plants , or consider using compost Camellia sinensis when you irrigate to add nutrients .

For container , an all - purpose potting mix figure out great , it is always lightheaded and downlike and often has plant food and nutrients already in it . I have added potting commixture into slow garden dirt to untie it up in lieu of coir and compost . It ’s just more expensive and not very practical for heavy areas .

dumb dirt is another reason your coleus is go bad . If it is too dull and water ca n’t drain , the tender halt just rot aside . verify you have idle soil , this will also serve regulate the body of water so it ’s harder to over and underwater your coleus .

Climate and Temperature

Coleus are tropic plants , so they care tropical temperatures . tropic region are define as areas where temperature incessantly remain above 64F. This is the climate that coleus thrive in . Anything below 50F and your coleus will discontinue growing and start to look drooping until it warms up .

Coleuscan not handle frost of any kind . If you are in an country that gets frost , you will need to protect them . Keep an eye on the temperature and consider setting up frost alert on your phone from your local weather app . Then be quick toprotect your coleus from freezing atmospheric condition . Here are a few ways to do this successfully .

If yougrow coleus in potsthat are easy to pick up , just take them either into a garage , shed , or into the house on night where there is a frost warning .

For coleus in - ground or in pots too large for transportation , you will need to cover them . You canpurchase especial icing coversat a garden center for this purpose . But this is definitely not necessary . Use old sheets , towels , and/or blankets to breed your delicate flame nettle from the icing . Do not use anything plastic , like a tarp .

If the plastic is tinct the plant it will succumb to the frost . I use hoar protection because I live in an orbit where we welcome tardy summertime icing and then it warms up for a few more weeks and I like to carry my season . But this is also a salutary tip for anyone who lives in an area that will get a frost warning only a few times a class . Keep on top of hoar and savor your coleus for foresighted , just like we do when planning out ourshade garden in zone 3 .

If you live in an area where there is a winter season , you canbring flame nettle indoors . Treat them like houseplant over the wintertime months . Or seize a few cutting and take root them over the winter .

flame nettle can definitely benefit from anall purpose 20 - 20 - 20 fertilizer every two weeksas a part of your fertilizing modus operandi . If you are fertilizing annuals , give some to your coleus as well . Fertilizing will help them grow fast and larger .

I make out this since I live in an sphere where they only develop for 3 - 4 calendar month . So I want as much growth in the shortest time possible . If they are perennial where you live , consider just amending your soil with compost to keep all your perennials , including flame nettle , healthy .

Never feed dry plants . Always H2O , then fertilize . fecundate dry plants will burn them . I also advocate not fertilizing in the heating plant of the day if possible . Also , avoid splashing the diluted plant food on the plant life ’s leaves .

The beautiful thing about flame nettle is how low maintenance they are . They provide beautiful leafage but require very little work .

Coleus actually do heyday , normally little spikes of purplish flowers . If you care them , let them flower . I personally think they deflect from their foliage and I will snip off any flowers on my coleus .

flame nettle can also be crop if you want more bushy plants . If you want tall coleus just let it grow , but if you desire it to get bushy and grow laterally , cut it back and more stems will grow .

I will also pick out any yellowing or dark-brown leaves and that ’s about it for flame nettle sustenance .

Varieties

There are so many varieties of coleus . Some will be easy to find at garden center , and others you will have to seek for and track down specialty seed or cuttings . Here are a few of my best-loved variety that are more well available . pop music over to my article about 35 different flame nettle for more ideas .

Height : 36 ” Spread : 24 ”

Thus one is my sure-enough understudy . It has dark-green - yellow leaves with red pass through the center veins . In full sun the boundary work a bright golden yellowness and the nervure in the marrow filling in with an acute dark Red River . Less light and the red will stay only in the vena , and the edges persist a more Lime unripened . It ’s beautiful either way . It performs well both in pot and in beds .

Height : 14 ” Spread : 12 ”

Wizard rose is aclassic people of colour combination for coleus . It has brilliant pink pith that fade to a cream color and finishes off with a wide average unripe moulding . It is a lower growing variety thatprefers part shadiness conditions . It ’s gross for front garden borders or as a filler plant life in containers . I made a combination in a container with a green dracena in the centre . Then large brilliant pink tuberous begonia ( NonStop Deep Rose ) . Then Wizard Rose flame nettle as makeweight with whitened alyssum spill out the bound . The pinks , whites , and greens of the flowers and foliage act as off each other perfectly .

top : 30 ” Spread : 24 ”

Wasabi is a pure vivid green , well , wasabi colored flame nettle . It expand in the full sunshine or refinement and is not bad for match with other plants because of its vivacious coloring . Wasabi also has an interesting shaggy foliage , like a shiso leaf . It has great grain and color all in one . put it next to dark red varieties of coleus for a veridical pop . It ’s a really big full shaggy-coated mixture that fills pots and garden bed .

summit : 18 ” Spread : 24 ”

Chocolate Drop is a low - growing , trailing variety of coleus . It has low pith - mold leaves , with red center and then it bleeds through the veins to the green margins . It almost look like a lace normal . This is a greatlow - growing creeperthrough a rock garden or spilling out of container . I must say , the ColorBlaze serial publication , in worldwide , is capital , they are Proven Winners so they are dependable and gentle to find at garden sum .

Pests and Diseases

Ok , this is one of the reason I jazz flame nettle , theyhardly ever have problem with pests . I have a assemblage of flame nettle I work inwardly and outside every year . I also bring in a lime tree and an elephant ear . The unslaked lime Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree always , always , has spider mite . I have to care for it all wintertime . My alocasia has brought in aphids , and wanderer mites that I also treat . But my 7 + coleus have never brought in a pest ( knock on wood ) .

So that is the dependable news , however , I will not discount the hypothesis thatpests can invade flame nettle . Pests infesting a plant can be a sign that the works is in a thinned body politic due to its conditions . So to prevent pesterer make certain your flame nettle is growing in moist , rich , draining land and it is get adequate , but not too much , sun .

The usual suspects when it comes topests on coleus are spider mites , mealybug , and aphids . All three can be problematicdepending on where you are growing . First , discover the pest . Spider mite will form a thin caul of webbing on the leaf . If you look close you will see networks of tiny spider like bugs ( they are n’t actually arachnids ) racing through the vane . You may also detect mottled leaves .

aphid are small translucent glitch that will lie in stilt on the stems and underside of leaves . They blow the tomfool from the plant life . You may notice pismire when there are aphids . The ants are n’t in reality eating the aphids , they simply harvest the sap from the aphid . It ’s ladybugs that are the aphid eaters . Finally , mealybugs are very obviousbecause they appear as ashen fuzz on the undersurface of the folio .

How to deal with these pest will depend on the severity of the pestilence and how you desire to deal with them . For spider mites and aphid I always start with a ripe blast with the hose , or I run a tissue up the radical and squelch the aphid and destroy the wanderer mite ’s webs .

For mealybugs , a cotton swab and some dilute rubbing alcohol will make clean them off . I usually bug out with that , and if that does n’t work out I take hold of the spray . I use a neem oil - ground insecticidal spray and I habituate that weekly . Do n’t employ the spray when the coleus isstill in the sun , wait for subtlety or even to spray . After a few applications , the pest should be gone .

As for disease , what I encounter most in flame nettle is thestem and base bunkum . This is a unmediated result of overwatering and/or not enough right drainage in the dirt . Heavy clay soils apply on to too much water . corporation without drainage will also deem urine . ensure you have loose stain and free - draining pot for coleus . If not , the stems will just dissolve and the plant will drop dead .

Plant Uses

Oh , I definitely do n’t need to terminate on such a downer as bugs and root rot , So allow ’s talk about the fun part . Design!Coleus has many desirable role in the garden .

Coleus does fab in container . When I institute a container I apply the“thriller ” “ filler ” “ spiller ” method acting . A flora that is the main feature , some complementary or contrasting plant life around it , and then some more plant that spill over the bound of the pot . The ravisher of coleus is that it take all those spaces . A large Kong coleus , for instance , can be large and beautiful and be the thriller of a pot .

merge some geraniums for makeweight and calibrachoa for a spiller . As a filler plant , a lower mature Wizard Jade flame nettle works in a bare pot with a thenar as a thriller and some ivy spilling out . Then there are trailing flame nettle , like Burgundy Wedding Train that has humble centre - shape leaves and would spill out of a pot attractively with a simple cordyline dracena for the thriller and some lobelia makeweight . The possibilities and combinations are endless . Have fun design container with coleus .

In the garden , coleus can be used as cylinder block of planting to make contrast and interest alongside flowers . For case , use red - flick flame nettle like Redhead and occlude it next to intense purpleness salvia for a real pa . It also makes agreat low - growing border to frame bed . Any of the Wizard or Fairway varieties are enceinte for this because they are low - grow and other plants can be planted behind them .

Another choice is to havecoleus in hanging baskets . A with child basketful with a coconut coir liner that has holes cut in it and stuffed with coleus will form a massive ball by the end of summer .

My personal favourite thing to do with coleus is to beak the sturdiness stem and strip the leaves from it . Let it originate and it will finally turn to a woody root word and then prune the upper leaves into a ball . This makes a gorgeous small coleus topiary . Which can be used as a thriller in a flowerpot . Or I just keep them in pots and bestow them in over the winter and back out in the summertime .

Frequently Asked Questions

Some of the more quondam fashioned variety are by all odds made for the shadiness . But newer mixed bag can take full sun . Check the tag on your coleusto see if it can take sunlight . I find full blasting sun is usually too intense for coleus , they do best in part sun witha bite of mottled afternoon spook .

This really depend in the amount of sun your flame nettle catch and the condition of the ground . In full sun they will probably needwatered daily . In the shade , it might only be hebdomadal . If the grunge does n’t hold urine it may be more , if the soil is light and can absorb and sustain more , it will require less frequent water .

Coleus will droop and assure you when they need H2O . Do n’t wait when you see them droop , they go to the point of no return real quick . Container grown coleus will also command more water depending on tummy size , but it will probably require daily watering as well .

Coleus change color with the amount of Lord’s Day they receive . If you play a beautiful cored coleus place and it is get going to a dull unripened colouring it is belike because it isnot getting as much sunshine . The more vivid colors start to show up when they get more sun . This can be even out , just put your flame nettle in more sun and the new growth will brighten up .

Yes ! I think coleus is actually a very underrated houseplant . Their foliage is beautiful and they arepretty easy to keep awake . Theyneed downlike potting soil , and luck of water . When they wilt , do n’t look , give them a drink .

She ’s thirsty ! Stop what you ’re doing and give her a potable ! There is a small possibility it ’s too much water , but if you have light potting soil and drain in your pot , it ’s hard to over water a flame nettle .

I could write a whole article on the almost eternal possibilities . For this faq thought I will bond to a few of my pet flame nettle companions . begonia are lovely in suspicious coleus mint , along with golden lysimachia , lobelia , and impatiens .

In cheery containers I love mate them withcalibrachoa , petunias , and imperial outpouring locoweed . Coleus also looks striking when set with other variety of coleus . Look for contrast foliage colors and textures to create an sympathetic compounding .

Yes , I ’ve had cuttings growing in vases of water indefinitely . Once they have establishedhuge rootsin water however , it is harder to reintroduce them back into soil .

Final Thoughts

Coleus is one of my favorite plant across the board . They can handle so many unlike conditions . Sun , shade , indoors , outdoors , on the ground , or in containers . There ’s coleus for almost anywhere . They are also soeasy to grow and disseminate . The bantam cutting can grow a full coleus plant in a fairly little period of fourth dimension . And finally , what I really lie with about flame nettle is that they provide their ravisher without bank on flush . The foliage is come to and everlasting throughout the time of year .

So grab coleus from a garden marrow , or find a cutting , or start them from ejaculate , and start growing and revel flame nettle for yourself .