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This ancient and versatile species of Coleus lends itself to hanging baskets which can be used to overwinter all your favorite cultivars.
After an exciting summer of acquiring and growing Coleus ( Solenostemon scutellarioides) the approach of cooler weather slows my active days. My first year of featuring Coleus in my garden is ending. There are no new varieties to look for and the last of the season’s annuals are now discounted in stores.Lower temperatures mean I will not have to water as often and the last fish emulsion fertilizer for the season has been applied. As the foliage colors deepen under a gentler sun into vibrant hues, I sit, relax and enjoy this culmination period. It is the time the coleuses are at the height of their growth maturity for the season. They are stunning and colorful as they bask in the dappled sun of a cool afternoon. I feel as if all the months of care that have gone into their growth have paid off, and I am pleased.
Although I can now sit amongst some of them on my patio and just enjoy, if I think ahead even a few weeks, I know that this pleasurable time will soon end. I will have to make decisions about protecting these tender tropicals from first frost. Not being able to keep them all, I must decide which ones will be brought indoors for overwintering. It is a final weeding of the season, but not a determined pull and toss process. Rather, it is a thoughtful selection of gathering together those that will spend the winter closer to me under my protective custody.
It is not an easy process. I remember the tender cuttings given to me by friends that were coaxed to root and branch out. I remember the giddy anticipation of eagerly opening the boxes arriving in the mail from an online order. I remember the car trips to out of the way places to scout out new cultivars.I remember nursing the sick ones and finding just the right spot for the shy ones. I remember the feeding, repotting, and rescuing through drought, flood and pests. All that tending and diligence has got me here, and now I must choose.
Thinking practically, my most prolific growers were the trailers. Coleus trailers are a species unto themselves in the family of coleus (C. rehneltianus) known for its non-standard growth pattern. Spreading out and hanging down for over two feet, they are the bushiest and most movable. Indoors, I can just install hooks and hang them. They present the easiest storage space solutions for my indoor limitations. Hung from the ceiling in front of south facing sunny windows or near an existing light source, they wouldn’t require much else in their dormancy except water. With this in mind, I decide to also start baskets of my favorites and make all my overwintering favorites “hang out” over the winter.
By simply rooting some cuttings in water, and potting up several different varieties in baskets I can maximize space and reduce the cost of shelving and lighting. Hanging baskets can be purchased cheaply at dollar stores. Also, repotting large trailers to bring indoors can be achieved through cutting the large root ball in half and placing into smaller pots. This method is best achieved in warmer weather to give the plant a chance to sprout new roots before being brought indoors. Plants should be brought indoors before heating systems are turned on and if the air is hot and dry, humidity can be provided from a thrift store bought humidifier placed in the room..
Since the trailers are the bushiest they will also provide an abundance of cuttings in the spring to start new plants for outdoor use as container plants, ground covers and accents in borders. The non-trailers in baskets grow as if in their own indoor bed and provide surprises as some of them start to trail also.
Making the selection to over winter seems less daunting now that I know more of my favorites will be “hanging out” with me this winter. They will also provide color and atmosphere to my rooms and windows untill they can enjoy the outdoors again come spring.
Many thanks to LaLa_Jane and Brinda for the generous use of their photos.
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 LaunaLou (from Federal Way, WA) on October 22, 2007 at 09:49 AM:
Where do you buy this plant? I'd really like to have one of my own as well! Thank-you!
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Posted by vvgardener (from San Dimas, CA) on October 23, 2007 at 09:35 AM:
Where does the author live? I am in eastern Los Angeles County and wonder what winter protection to provide, when to fertilize and with what.
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Posted by jadajoy (from Newport News, VA) on October 23, 2007 at 10:51 AM:
vvgardener
I live in Virginia zone 8, but coleus is a tropical perennial and should fare much better in Calli. They are sensitive to frost so I have to bring them indoors come cooler weather about 45-50 degrees. The new varieties are sun tolerant but some cultivars have better coloring with part shade. Coelus love fish emulsion, about a capful in a gallon of water once a month. Good luck with your coleus!
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Subject: Talk about close to home
Posted by pupilpropogtr (from Birmingham, AL) on October 18, 2007 at 06:08 PM:
I am still in those excited beyond belief about cuttings feeling, praying they will live, and actually going up to different business and asking if I can pinch their container. I always say you make me feel like I am there, this one was literal. Love it. You alway capture the emotion!!
Dr. Pupilcolii
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Subject: thank you
Posted by onewish1 (from Denville, NJ) on October 17, 2007 at 05:46 AM:
This was my first year with trailing coleus.... didn't realize it can be overwintered
Allison
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Posted by McGlory (from Southeast, NE) on October 17, 2007 at 08:54 AM:
I'm not overwintering any coleus this year, but I did get a lot of inspiration from your article, Joyce. Enough to print it for posterity (and next year!). I'd try it now, but for some reason I only have one variety this year. Didn't realize until late in the season that I really hadn't done coleus this year. Thank you for taking the time to write all this helpful information down!
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Posted by slcdms (from Ripley, MS) on October 17, 2007 at 09:13 AM:
Once again you have placed visions of grandeur in my head. Every year I try to bring my coleus inside to overwinter and every year they make it until Jan or early Feb and then slowly start to die. My green thumb doesn't seem to work indoors, but it surely doesn't stop me from trying. Nice article, thanks
Sandra
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on October 17, 2007 at 10:11 AM:
One of my earliest gardening memories is of the mother of my closest friend teaching us how to "pinch" coleus. These were not considered annuals; they were HOUSEPLANTS. I've been slightly disdainful of coleus until recently, when my interest started again to be piqued. Thanks for a nice article. Does anyone know of trailing coleus making seed, especially fertile seed?
xx, Carrie
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Posted by LouC (from Desoto, TX) on October 17, 2007 at 10:16 AM:
The pictures of your garden look good enough to eat. Foliage plants appeal to me more all the time. They produce the entire season not just bloom for awhile. Very good article.
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Posted by Islandshari (from Kwajalein, Marshall Islands) on October 17, 2007 at 05:40 PM:
Wonderful article! Good luck with the overwintering after all your tlc with these often overlooked beauties!
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Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on October 17, 2007 at 05:52 PM:
Aren't they lovely? Super article and this year I promise to plant more of these...and take some cutting of what we still have left :)
Thanks for some great info!
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Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on October 18, 2007 at 01:03 AM:
Some of the non-trailing ones can trail? Interesting! Reminds me that I need to get my cuttings planted that are rooting in water. And next year, I'll try the trailing ones, too! Thanks!
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Posted by jadajoy (from Newport News, VA) on October 18, 2007 at 02:46 AM:
Thanks to you all for the feedback!
One wish--that is an amazing grouping you have there, absolutely beautiful, thanks for the photo.
Carrielamont- the trailers will seed but most coleus do not grow true from seed. The seed will grow but wont be like the mother plant.
Ky- I have had some non-trailing coleus "hang". Probably from weight of the branches and the way they are positioned in the sun. I'm sure you will like the trailers.
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Posted by alice_sunn (from Stockholm, Sweden) on October 18, 2007 at 08:21 AM:
I love the coleus trailers too! I like the idea of coleus having so many different shapes, almost like in the world of DOGS (with no further comparison!)
Some coleus are big, some are small, some are bushy, some trailing, some mounding....they have all kinds of leaf colour, patterns and shapes. Hey.... it sounds like an idea for a new coleus article! LOL
Thank you for the splendid article, it was nice reading & great photos. Please, give us more!
Alice
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on October 18, 2007 at 02:32 PM:
Yes, I know they won't be exactly like the parent, but they will trail, won't they? All hypothetical, as I do not have any seeds from trailing coleus.
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