In August or September, take as many stem cuttings as you like, dip them in rooting hormone (speeds rooting) and stick them in a pot with good potting soil. Place the pots in a sunny window, water regularly and pinch back the growing tips throughout winter to promote a fuller shape. Coleus should be kept at a minimum 15C (60F) over winter. Known for their unique foliage, coleus is an annual plant that has a life cycle of one year. Potting Coleus Pot a mature, outdoor-grown coleus to overwinter as a houseplant in early fall, before a cold snap arrives and damages the frost-sensitive plant. Coleus move easily between gardens and seasons — just keep them indoors until all danger of spring frost has passed and evening temperatures top 55 F. When autumn approaches, bid coleus goodbye or transplant them to containers and move them inside for winter. Coleus are one of the easiest plants to propagate. Step 1 - Bring It Indoors Coleus can survive in sun or shade, but dif… You can adopt this method by choosing a mature coleus plant in a suitable condition. The earlier volume, Coleus: A Guide to Cultivation and Identification was published in 1974, which must be approximately the last time anyone here took any interest these poor plants. Water them and stand back. Premium Sun Mighty Mosaic (Coleus) Starting at CAD $4.95. Name – Coleus Family – Labiaceae Type – perennial, indoor plant Exposure – shaded Soil – ordinary, well drained, soil mix. The specialist growers of houseplants. However, many people feel that coleus look best before they flower. Coleus COLOR CLOUDS™ ‘Be Mine’ Coleus COLOR CLOUDS™ ‘Spicy’ Coleus COLOR CLOUDS™ ‘Valentine’ Coleus FANCY FEATHERS™ Black; Coleus FANCY FEATHERS™ Copper; Coleus FLYING CARPET™ ‘Fire Mountain’ Coleus FLYING CARPET™ ‘Shocker’ Coleus NOVA® ‘Mad Medusa’ Coleus NOVA® ‘Red Flare’ Coleus NOVA® ‘Roly-Poly’ Share: A favorite plant in the Victorian era, their colorful foliage was used outdoors in elaborate bedding displays. In 1763, coleus was part of the Ocimum genus. Kong Lime Sprite (Coleus Pellets) Starting at CAD $4.95. Typically growing to 60–75 cm (24–30 in) tall and wide, it is a bushy, woody-based evergreen perennial, widely grown for the highly decorative variegated leaves found in cultivated varieties. Propagating from cuttings is equal to coleus growing from seeds. Choose the right soil. Coleus are having a resurgence of popularity with new and dramatic varieties that have been bred 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 semi-shady areas of the garden. You should use nutrient rich soil that drains well, as coleus don’t like to be in … Whatever you call them, these are good-natured plants that are pretty hard to kill and quite easy to propagate. Keep them inside during the winter by a … By Judith Adam Filed Under: Making a Garden ‘Wine Dipt’ coleus grows well in bright shade. The majority of coleus offered for sale in the UK are presented as mixed bedding for the end consumer, or as wholesale plug plants for nurseries to grow on. If you live in the mildest winter areas of U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11, your coleus has a good chance of surviving the winter outdoors. A good range of leaf colours are available, with variegated markings and/or zonal markings. Coleus are in danger of cold damage once the temperature drops to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Item #: P824A . 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. A coleus plant is hardy, able to survive in both a container indoors and in the soil outside. livingsta from United Kingdom on May 18, 2013: Hi Jill, it's the mealybugs I guess. Cruise through your local garden center to find one or two new ones to try this year! Coleus is a magnificent tropical plant, noted for the beauty of its colorful, mottled foliage. Here is the step by step procedure to propagate coleus plants from cuttings…. Winterizing coleus is important and actually quite easy. Coleus Canina is a plant most noted for the smelly aroma it has that gets worse when touched or brushed up against. (Cuttings root quickly in water, though, so gardeners in cold-winter areas can save prized selections from year to year.) Featured is a Black Stockings Coleus which was an outdoor potted Coleus from Spring/Summer 2016....Yes you can keep them potted for years...and heres how! Summary of Coleus facts. However, being a warm weather loving plant, it will not survive a harsh, cold winter. This means that they are hardy only in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 13, though they may survive in sheltered locations protected from frost in USDA zone 9b. They are called flame nettles in England and sometimes called painted nettles here in the US. (Photo by Brendan Zwelling) I became acquainted with coleus at an early age; it grew year-round in pots in my grandmother’s kitchen. Mild-Winter Areas. Coleus scutellarioides, commonly known as coleus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae (the mint or deadnettle family), native to southeast Asia through to Australia. Mostly grown for its colorful leaves, coleus has the power to turn any home garden into a visual treat. How To Overwinter Coleus Plants Indoors - Get Busy Gardening By mid-May, the plants should be ready for your garden or containers. I winter over a cuttings from few of each of my favorite coleus to give me a headstart on the season. Find out how to overwinter them in this article. Foliage – evergreen Flowering – June to September. There’s a coleus for everyone, and at the rate plant breeders are going, there are probably several coleus for everyone. They will survive down to 10C (50F) but only if kept dry. They're winter-hardy only in south Florida and south Texas. Propagating new Coleus with softwood cuttings is nearly as easy as growing them from seed You can create an identical clone of your favorite Coleus by taking softwood stem cuttings at any time of the year. Coleus are easy to grow and mix and match in whatever style suits your mood. Coleus is the traditional name for a genus of popular landscape plants that have now been reassigned to the genera Plectranthus and Solenostemon. Summer-to-winter coleus. While this vibrant and leafy plant is usually grown outdoors, coleus can … If you take cuttings in the fall, prior to a killing frost, and grow your Coleus as a house plant to brighten the winter … Solenostemon (coleus) A striking evergreen foliage plant. Later, it was recognized as its own genus of plants. Yes, this was in India. Chocolate Covered Cherry (Coleus/pelleted) Starting at CAD $4.95. View as Grid List. Take coleus plant cuttings of size 8-12 inches. Along with its distinct, unpleasant smell, this plant has other distinctive attributes such as it’s grey-green leaves and small violet or blue flowers, making it a pretty addition to any garden. Streptocarpus, Foliage Begonias, Saintpaulias and other Indoor plants from Chelsea Gold Medal Winners. Coleus is very frost-sensitive, so bring the plants inside if cold nights threaten. Water the plant well the day before the move to lessen transplant shock and help keep soil around to the roots. When the weather begins to turn cold you will need to take some precautions to ensure a healthy coleus in the spring. Unusual, Solenostemon 'Black Prince' (Coleus) is a tropical evergreen tender subshrub boasting toothed, soft purple-black leaves, nearly solid black, adorned with a hint of red. They are in clusters all over the stems and mostly under the leaves. It also hinders the healthy growth of the plant. Item #: P1811G . In summer, flower spikes bear small lavender and white flowers. Published: May 31, 2019. Item #: P824E . 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. Gardening features from Crocus.co.uk - How to overwinter tender perennials How to overwinter tender perennials Tender perennials, such as pelargoniums, fuchsias, osteospermums and marguerites look great all summer, but unless they are given protection from the harsh winter weather, they will need to be replaced each spring. Anything below 25 degrees will kill the plant. ! Don't plant too early in springall coleus hate the cold. Although a tender perennial, it is usually grown outside in the UK as a half hardy annual. In colder zones, they are grown as annuals or as houseplants. In spring, gradually introduce the plants to outdoor conditions. This method is most suitable for landscaping or outdoors. Grown for its bright colourful leaves rather than its tiny insignificant flowers. 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