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An old Victorian parlor plant makes a 21st century comeback! Coleus is enjoying a new popularity with colorful hybrids and sun tolerant landscape varieties. Easy to grow and inexpensive,Coleus has become a gardener's highspot!
In the last decade there has been resurgence in popularity of C. blumei commonly referred to as Coleus. Named by Karl Ludwig Blume (1796-1862), who found coleus being cultivated in the Dutch colony of Java, its origins are unknown and also include specimens found in Asia and Africa. (1) Also known as Coleus x hybridus, this name reflects an assemblage of hybrids from many closely related species. Its genus name has recently been changed to Solenostemon scutellarioides (1990) which includes about 150 plants belonging to the mint family of herbal annuals and perennials. Coleus typically have square stems, paired opposite leaves, tubular flowers and can be sweetly aromatic (ever stop to smell your coleus?) From the Greek "koleos", meaning sheath, it refers to the male portions of Coleus flowers, the stamens, which are fused into a tube or sheath.
During the 1800's Coleus enjoyed a frenzy of popularity in Victorian England. Wild excitement surrounded the introduction of new varieties complete with auction sales at exorbitant prices. Today, in much the same way, new varieties from sports (coleuses sport frequently) (2) and hybrids, are sold to nurseries and introduced as the years new cultivar. Plant swaps from cuttings are continually ongoing in the hope of finding a new sport suitable for sale and/or adding something new to a collection. Coleus does not have an official registry of plant cultivars, which makes identifying them a confusing prospect. Queries for a name for your coleus will yield many answers which depend largely on where it was purchased. Coleus purchased at box stores will often only bear the tag name of "Coleus" thus, finding a cultivar name, is left up to the purchaser. You may be surprised and delighted at some of the whacky and fun names given to these cultivars like "Brooklyn Horror", "Dr. Wu", "Kiwi Herman", "Bipolar By Golly", "Blair’s Witch", "Fishnet Stockings" and "Fright Night". Reading through the cultivars names is a treat in itself. With the increased interest in coleus as a welcome addition to gardens and containers, new societies are forming which may address an official cultivar registry. In the meantime, an exhaustive list of some 1400 identifiable coleuses can be found at coleusfinder.org.
Regardless of their names, the many new cultivars and hybrids available today make Coleus collecting a rewarding and pleasurable pastime. Easy to grow and maintain, it has become the plant of choice for indoor and outdoor gardeners and designers. With the introduction of sun tolerant varieties, this previously shade annual has become a contender for focal points in bedding landscapes. No longer considered just an accent plant, a combination of several Coleus make a stunning and colorful grouping. The variety in color, texture, leaf shape and growing form make each one unique and a worthy candidate for use in the garden or container. Ranging in leaf size from less than an inch (Thumbelina) to a span of over 8 inches (Kong varieties) coleus can be used to great effect in many applications such as borders, groupings, tree bases and to fill in barren spots when other plant material has lost it bloom.
In its Victorian heyday, Coleus was a parlor plant gracing windows or residing in conservatories. By the early 1900's it had fell out of favor, due to unsuccessful overwintering and inferior plants grown from seed. During the 1920's a new introduction was circulated; C. rehneltianus after its collector Herr F. Rehnelt who found a specimen in the ruins of Ceylon which later proved to be the same specimen previously recorded in 1837 which was found growing over tiled roofs in the Philippines. (3) It is the predecessor of our present day trailing coleus originally used as hanging plants, now also used in outdoor containers and as ground covers. The many and varied cultivars of c. rehneltianus lend themselves to a collection all their own.
A tropical plant, coleus is grown as an annual in most zones but has some success as a perennial in zone 11. The ideal growing conditions are temperatures above 60 degrees F receiving morning sun and dappled shade. The correct balance of sun or shade depends on the cultivar and experimenting within your growing conditions. Specimens grown from cuttings retain stronger color and do not go to seed as easily. The sun tolerant varieties can endure greater sun exposure and show brighter and deeper coloring. The remarkable color range of the foliage achieves the effect most gardeners look for in flowering specimens yet coleus will remain showy from spring to first frost. With such an outstanding pigment range in its foliage, who needs flowers?
Inexpensive, and easily reproduced from seed or stem cuttings, propagation is even possible from a leaf or tip cutting. Cuttings can be rooted in water, or the recommended mixture of 2 parts peat one part soil and two parts sand or substitute a soiless mix . Today's commercial moisture control mixes work well with coleus cuttings as do peat pots and wedge cubes. Take cuttings in the fall, prior to a killing frost, and grow your Coleus as a house plant to brighten the winter months. 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. The flat of cuttings shown are two to three inches cut below a leaf node.These were dipped in a rooting hormone and put in a moisture retentive soil (Moisturizing Miracle Gro) or just add peat moss to soil, and placed in a shady spot outdoors after danger of frost has passed.
Just like basil plants, you want to keep Coleus from flowering. Gently removing the terminal bud of each shoot when it appears, encourages side branching, producing more beautiful foliage and also controls height. Coleus in the garden should be given at least 12 inches of space in a slightly alkaline soil. Sensitive to fertilizer, all liquids should be diluted down to half or a quarter strength and it has been remarked that fish emulsion works wonders as does bone meal and cow manure which should be fed from March to September. Coleus prefer a moist well drained soil, but do not like "wet feet" and will develop root and stem rot. Usually disease free, Coleus may be prone to mealy bugs, aphids and whitefly.
Testament to the many varieties available today, Coleus growth as a preferred annual plant has certainly taken on a life of its own. Its variations in form: trailing, mounding, spreading or as a topiary add to its versatility of use. In public places, in the garden, or in water on the office window sill, Coleus brightens any area. Need a spot of color? Try a Coleus. But be forewarned, no one can own just one.
[2] Fuller, Harry J. An Outline Of General Botany. New York. 1947 sport: "Sudden small or large variations of unpredictable nature...caused by changes in chromosomes...mutations develop in seeds or in buds." hybridization: "involves the crossing of closely related plants in order to bring together...desirable traits possessed separately by the parent plants." [3] Pedley, W.K. and R. Coleus: A Guide to Cultivation and Identification. Great Britain: John Bartholomew and Son LTD, 1974.
About Joyce B. Gladden
I am a transplanted New Yorker, writer, and novice gardener learning more and more each season. My plant of choice is Coleus (growing to include roses and others as I become more passionate about gardening). Other long time interests include book collecting and quilting.
Posted by jazzzy704 (from Fenton, MI) on October 23, 2007 at 10:00 AM:
Informative and photos make me want more. I will deffinately check out the coleus site.Thank You
for your informative style of writing!!
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Subject: Great article!
Posted by rcn48 (from Lexington, VA) on August 29, 2007 at 4:14 AM:
Very informative article and you're so right, they ARE addicting! I've been pinching mine all summer and sticking them here, there and everywhere! LOL
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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on August 29, 2007 at 5:04 AM:
Another fascinating article - thank you so much for the history behind it also. Very enjoyable :)
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Posted by Islandshari (from Kwajalein
(Marshall Islands)) on August 29, 2007 at 4:15 PM:
Tons of great information Joyce! Well planned out, well written and a pleasure to read.
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Posted by alice_sunn (from Stockholm
(Sweden)) on August 29, 2007 at 4:35 PM:
Oh Joyce, not ANOTHER addiction in my life!!!!!! Now I'm addicted to coleus AND your articles about them..... more more more, please. LOL
Alice
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Posted by jadajoy (from Newport News, VA) on August 30, 2007 at 12:10 AM:
Thanks! I found the history fascinating too. Coleus addiction goes waaay back. We're just newbies to the club, Ha!
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Posted by cactuspatch (from La Luz/Alamogordo, NM) on September 3, 2007 at 4:38 PM:
Great article, I have been a gardener for over 30 years but just in the last few years have started growing coleus. I love to plant them on my porch for the summer and then root cuttings in the fall to enjoy them as houseplants like you mentioned.
We have a lot in common, I am a cat lover, quilter, gardener and my name is Joyce too! : )
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Posted by jadajoy (from Newport News, VA) on September 3, 2007 at 6:40 PM:
Hello Joyce!
Thats incredible. AND we are in the same zone! This proves that Dave's is a great place to meet like minded people and then some.
dmail me. I'd love to know what quilt you may be working on and seeing pics of your babies:-)).
Joyce
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Posted by GardenPeg54 (from Battle Creek, MI) on September 16, 2007 at 2:39 PM:
A fabulous article, complete from history to photos to propagation info. Thank you so much, it's priceless! Good job!
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Posted by jadajoy (from Newport News, VA) on September 16, 2007 at 2:55 PM:
Your Welcome!
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Subject: Beautiful!
Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on August 29, 2007 at 12:36 AM:
"But be forewarned, no one can own just one." LOL, spoken like a true coleus addict! I never knew the history of them--thanks for informing us. Love the pictures, too. Thanks for sharing those, too. Cute kitty!
My mother likes hers tall, and she likes for them to bloom. The other day I saw a hummingbird sipping from those tiny flowers! Mine were all eaten by the bunnies...grrrr. I must be more diligent with the repellents next year.
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 29, 2007 at 3:45 PM:
Thanks for a wonderful article! I've got a couple of trailing coleus that I love... they taught me that there's more to coleus than "Rainbow Mix" for shade. Your article made me realize just how much variety exists in these plants, and how much history is behind them!
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Posted by jadajoy (from Newport News, VA) on August 29, 2007 at 4:00 PM:
Critter---glad you enjoyed it!
KY---Thanks. I had planned on letting my coleus flower later in the season, I'll have to check for hummingbirds then, if they are still around. Also letting them grow tall provides great specimens for topiary training. I try everything with mine, cause like you said, I'm truly addicted! ( does admitting it help? :-))
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Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on August 29, 2007 at 5:56 PM:
LOL, have you been on the old "1200 Step Coleus Addiction Program" thread? I cracked up when I first saw that one! [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com]
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Posted by jadajoy (from Newport News, VA) on August 30, 2007 at 11:22 AM:
Ky
That thread was started by sugarweed, she's a real coleus expert! As a matter of fact there are lots of very knowledgable folks on the Coleus forum, you should check it out. I'm just a newbie addict :-))
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Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on August 30, 2007 at 4:11 PM:
Yep, me, too....and now I have to go out and rescue what's left of our coleus from the bunnies' feast... I guess they're desparate to find food, what with the drought here.
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Subject: I Love it!
Posted by georgiagarden3 (from Arlington, GA) on August 29, 2007 at 12:32 AM:
Great Job!
Quoted:
But be forewarned, no one can own just one
Very ,Very true.
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Posted by LouC (from Desoto, TX) on August 29, 2007 at 7:45 AM:
Already looking forward to next year. Not enough room in the house to pot and bring in.
Thank you for your interesting and well written article.
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Posted by jadajoy (from Newport News, VA) on August 30, 2007 at 12:08 AM:
Thanks for responding ladies!
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Posted by TARogers5 (from Kingston, OK) on September 3, 2007 at 10:30 PM:
Great work. Very nice photos and lots of information. Thanks for your work.
