Coleus Color

No plant is better at providing a splash of color all season than coleus.  Flowers bloom and fade, but coleus just keeps growing and growing.  The leaves are the stars. and as long as you pinch back the small blossoms that try to grow at the tips of the plant, coleus will spread into a mass of beautiful color.

Our coleus this year all came from last year's plantings.  We find this method easier than starting them by seed. My husband took cuttings last fall, and rooted the stems in potting soil.  He kept them in the basement all winter under a couple florescent grow lights. (He's a genius with electrical timers to automatically turn the lights on and off.)  By planting time this spring, the new plants were already anxious to hit the flower beds and spread their wings.  They look great tucked up against hostas, or bleeding hearts, or day-lilly greenery. 

These annuals look great all season long.  If they get too tall and leggy, I just cut them back a bit.  That makes them spread more to each side.  They can be started from cuttings or seed.  I'm always on the look-out for new coleus colors or leaf shapes.  Let me know if you have an especially beautiful coleus, and I'll be over to take a cutting :)