Coleus is certainly one of the most beautiful leaf plants to grow at home. 4 Repot the coleus plant into a pot one size larger than its current container when new growth starts. Coleus plants grow well in warm conditions, above 60ºF, 65ºF is the ideal temperature. Name – Coleus Family – Labiaceae Type – perennial, indoor plant Exposure – shaded Soil – ordinary, well drained, soil mix. The three things you’ll have to worry about the most are lighting, water and houseplant pests. Seeds Mr Fothergill's Seeds, Kentford, Suffolk, CB8 7QB (01638 552512; www.mr-fothergills.co.uk). The breeding and propagation of sports was so frenetic that Gardener's Chronicle of 1869 dubbed it "coleus fever". Collect and prepare the cuttings in spring or summer, with 4 inch (10 cm) long stems that have at least two nodes or pairs of leaves. Coleus can be overwintered indoors as cuttings or houseplants, which means you can save your favorite varieties to grow in your gardens again next summer! Coleus can easily be started from seed indoors about 10 weeks before the last frost date in your region. Sitting directly in a North, East or West facing window will be perfect, you may get away with a South facing window if the sunlight is filtered. Intro: Coleus is a colorful container plant for shadier balcony gardens. When the plant reaches the desired height, pinch out the top shoot and keep removing lead shoots. Winter Care. Simply root three- to four-inch (7-13 cm.) And the plants flowered earlier, which also resulted in inferior foliage. When grown indoors, winter is often the season when this little plant joins the household. A planting mix stirred into the soil (or organic matter or compost) can help enrich the soil as well. When you purchase your coleus in a pot, it’s ready for planting either in a garden box or in the ground. Family – Labiaceae Need advice? Summary of Coleus facts. These plants should be never planted in winter. Varieties have changed little since then and we're still working with essentially Victorian material. It loves fertile and moist soil. Read on to find out just how easy it is. Set plants out after all danger of frost is past. Foliage – evergreen Flowering – June to September. Whitefly is generally the worst pest, although coleus can also suffer from red spider, mealy bug and scale insect. A packet of coleus seeds; Seed tray; Seed compost; Polythene bag; How to grow. When pricking out note that larger and stronger plants often have poorer quality foliage. The colored leaves are the reason for growing the coleus plant, it ranges from red to pink, from green to white and from yellow to brown. Your email address will not be published. Coleus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. Coleus is only grown outdoors in summer for temperate climates, because it fears the cold when temperatures drop below 50°F (10°C). When to grow. Coleus plant care indoors: Provide bright indirect sunlight, temperatures of 65-75°F, and moderate to high humidity levels. Cuttings are very easy, at any time between February and September, using young growth, and cutting just below the node. Whatever you call them, these are good-natured plants that are pretty hard to kill and quite easy to propagate. Mix a light application of a balanced organic fertiliser into the soil prior to planting. Grown for its bright colourful leaves rather than its tiny insignificant flowers. The following coleus care instructions will tell you why. Best in pots as house plants, or in the warmer conservatory, coleus can also be grown in containers or windowboxes alongside other temporary summer planting. Coleus are in danger of cold damage once the temperature drops to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Shovel or hand trowel. A good range of leaf colours are available, with variegated markings and/or zonal markings. Solenostemon (coleus) A striking evergreen foliage plant. Coleus is the traditional name for a genus of popular landscape plants that have now been reassigned to the genera Plectranthus and Solenostemon. It also hinders the healthy growth of the plant. Follow these easy steps for overwintering coleus plants or cuttings, and get tons of winter care tips for growing coleus indoors (including watering, light requirements and pest control! While it is considered a tender perennial, most gardeners treat coleus as an annual. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. Bring the garden boxes inside before the weather gets cold. Quality did fall towards the end of the century because so many plants were grown from seed, which was cheaper than over-wintering them in heated glasshouses. They need plenty of water and moderate fertility. They can also look good bedded out with salvias, rudbeckias, gaillardias and other late-summer flowers in the red-yellow end of the spectrum in warm borders. Full sunlight is vital. ). Coleus branches break easily. Coleus seed can be sown at any time of the year if you are growing it as a house plant. Soil – ordinary, well drained, soil mix, Foliage – evergreen A coleus that's grown indoors might become leggy with time, especially if it's grown in low-light conditions. Coleus plant leaves come in shades of red, green, white and yellow. Outdoors, coleus requires sun but abhors excessively warm situations that could actually kill it off. Coleus eventually produce woody stems and you can train them as standards. Soil. Coleus is ridiculously cheerful, its multitude of forms like vegetable clowns in crazy reds, yellows, greens, purple-bronzes, dark pinks and browns. Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) is one of the easiest summer plants to grow. Eliminate flowers as soon as they appear, as they’re not even worth the bloom and tend to drain the coleus of all its energy. Timely gardening advice from Crocus.co.uk - How to overwinter tender perennials ... Coleus. Coleus Care Guide Light. Biological controls are available for all of these, although on a small scale insecticide is easier to use. With such bright colors, this amazingly easy plant to care for is ideal for pots or garden boxes. Coleus isn’t a very picky plant but it does need some attention, especially to protect and preserve its nice colored, spotted leaves. Light. Adding fertilizer isn’t a requirement, but it may be an option if you notice that the leaves start turning pale or white. In winter, it’s great to give it as much light and sun as you can for most of the day, to ensure it grows and develops and try to keep all the leaves attached. It can be grown in the garden during summertime, and also indoors over winter: it adapts perfectly. Read new articles immediately and get great deals delivered right to your email inbox, Easy gardening, grow food, flowers & medicine. Let's hope an enterprising nursery brings them over here. The best coleus are named varieties maintained by cuttings. Fortunately some very reliable and spectacular seed varieties are available. Although it loves warm climates, coleus light requirements are minimal. Plant covering. However these are hard to find in Britain because of the need for winter warmth. In a flower bed, mix garden soil with planting soil mix. You can grow it as a houseplant or put it with your other seedlings until next season. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Coleus plants are pretty easy to grow indoors, but do require a bit of extra care to get them through the winter. Thompson & Morgan, Poplar Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk IP8 3BU (01473 695225; www.thompson-morgan.com). 248. You either love or hate these colourful foliage plants. Pick a spot that is partly shaded over, with a bit of sun in the morning or passing rays in the afternoon. Ensure that the soil always stays somewhat moist, because all types of coleus hate drought. Required fields are marked *. Losses to rot and fungal diseases such as grey mould (botrytis) are very high if the plants are allowed to get cold and damp. As the intensity of the sun will be lower during winter months, keep your coleus exposed to artificial light for a longer amount of time. One plant fetched 59 guineas, which would make it expensive now and in those days was an enormous sum. About coleus plants. Coleus can survive in sun or shade, but dif… Your Coleus should be planted in a light, quick draining, commercial potting soil. Given its exotic origins, solenostemon is a tender perennial, but is most typically grown as an annual in the UK in borders or containers. Eliminate the lower leaves, keeping only the one pair at the top, and thrust the cutting in soil mix (cutting soil mix preferably). The "Kong Rose" is a … Learn How to grow Coleus in a pot, Growing coleus plant, Propagate Coleus by cutting, pest problem plectranthus scutellarioides, coleus care in this article. With just a few simple hints, anyone can grow this ornamental! During the winter months keep your coleus warm with sun lamps or fluorescent lamps or make sure the temperature in the area around the plant is maintained. Coleus plants need an excellent light source without scorching sun to retain the markings and because the leaf markings are the sole point to this attractive plant, it's essential that you get the light requirements correct. The best coleus are named varieties maintained by cuttings. In midsummer, drench plants with a liquid plant food to stimulate new growth. Too much feeding, however, particularly with high nitrogen fertilisers, encourages soft growth and poorer quality foliage. Although it’s not required, the plants can be given a boost of half-strength liquid fertilizer during their active growth in spring and summer. Plants Oakland Nurseries, 147 Melton Road, Burton-on-the-Wolds, Loughborough, Leics LE12 5TQ (01509 880646; www.oaklandnurseries.co.uk). The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. In a garden box, you can plant your coleus in a good soil mix. In common with many tender (and flamboyant) plants its popularity seems to go through phases: after several years in the wilderness, it is making a comeback, rechristened as solenostemon. Coleus is tough, somewhat drought tolerant and grows in most soils. Caring For Coleus. Container plants also require more frequent watering than those grown in the garden. They are in clusters all over the stems and mostly under the leaves. They long for the tropics, where the sun shines 12 hours a day. Fill the pot with well-draining soil and transplant the coleus from their garden-bought container into your selected pot. Coleus is a tropical perennial plant that is normally grown as an annual by gardeners who live north of USDA hardiness zones 10 and 11. It didn't look like they ate them, but the plants lost their health with the leaves all weirdly curled up in a terrible way. Yes, this was in India. Coleus is an aromatic plant, which smells like camphor plant. Share your garden joys & woes! Anything below 25 degrees will kill the plant. Since coleus prefer moist conditions, consider using a plastic pot or line a terra cotta plant with plastic to keep moisture levels high. Two species were in cultivation here by the 1860s, C. verschaftelti and C. blumei, and the first coloured-leaf variety appeared at a Royal Horticultural Society show in June 1861, introduced by William Bull, a nurseryman of King's Road, Chelsea. Type – perennial, indoor plant, Exposure – shaded It can be grown underneath other taller container plants, such as a small tree in a container. Keep the soil slightly moist when the plant is actively growing, but drier conditions in winter months. Keeping plants healthy with regular watering and feeding helps to reduce the likelihood of these problems developing. Article by Get Busy Gardening! Caring for coleus is just as easy. No comments yet – be the first to share your thoughts! Whitish masses colonize leaves. Choose a sheltered spot outdoors, with moist but well-drained soil in full sun or part shade at the front of a border, on a patio or in a window box . Remove the bottom leaves of each cutting and insert the cut ends into damp potting soi l, … Add to Basket (1) Coleus are having a resurgence of popularity with new and exciting varieties that have been bred and trialled in recent years and although native to the warmer tropical climes of Asia, Coleus have proved to be versatile summer bedding plants in UK temperatures, especially in … Winterizing Coleus Cuttings Knowing that the coleus won’t survive a cold winter, you can snip cuttings and root them for replanting. Coleus is a magnificent tropical plant, noted for the beauty of its colorful, mottled foliage. Coleus is very easily propagated with cuttings from stems that aren’t bearing flowers. They will survive down to 10C (50F) but only if kept dry. Water the plant thoroughly after planting. Loosen your soil well before planting so that the coleus can stretch their roots and expand as needed beneath the soil. Step 5: The low light levels of mid-to-late winter are tough on coleus. ... Get plants through the winter by keeping them somewhere the temperature doesn't fall below 5°C. Coleus is a magnificent tropical plant, noted for the beauty of its colorful, mottled foliage. Keep the soil mix at a constant moisture and ensure the plant stays at temperatures of 65 to 68°F (18 to 20°C). Mr Fothergill's stocks some good red strains, `Wizard Sunset' and `Wizard Scarlet', and the large-leaved, dark-purple `Pallisandra'. For a bushy plant, pinch out new shoots to stimulate the production of side-shoots, then pinch these out too. There is also a growing list of named cultivars in the United States. Plant pot. Ensure that the pot has a drainage hole though, as coleus is susceptible to root-rot. Pruning shears. From mid-May onwards, the plant can be brought outdoors. Coleus turns to mush with the first freezing temperatures. In February or March, again take several cuttings and cultivate them for transplant into the garden when the weather warms to insure well established plants by midsummer. Flowering – June to September. However these are hard to find in Britain because of the need for winter warmth. To ensure that this magnificent coloration stays true, the coleus plant requires sunlight, while avoiding situations that would scorch it. Repotting in a pot of a slightly larger size is recommended at the. What You'll Need. You should use nutrient rich soil that drains well, as coleus don’t like to be in muddy conditions. Thompson & Morgan's `Dragon Sunset and Volcano' offers a range of red, gold and pink `Fantasia' types, with twisted or deeply incised, almost divided, leaves. United Kingdom on May 18, 2013: Hi Jill, it is grown. And leaf shapes, which should be kept at a minimum 15C ( 60F ) over winter plants out all! 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Your selected pot and the plants flowered earlier, which would make it expensive now in. Where the sun shines 12 hours a day a packet of coleus seeds ; seed tray ; seed tray seed., well drained, soil mix to find out just how easy it is considered a perennial! Worry about the most are lighting, water and houseplant pests pinch these out too above 60ºF, is... As needed beneath the soil prior to cold weather by potting them up and moving them indoors plants gardening!
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