PlantFiles: Beefsteak Plant
Perilla 'Magilla'

I planted 3 of these plants in mid-July. They are all in full sun until mid-morning and then partial shade the rest of the day. I was worried about how they would do since the soil is poor quality (mostly hard clay). They all are doing remarkably well and are growing like crazy.

Care free plant of exceptional beauty. Loves our clay soil too. Easy to root in water and does equally well in planters.

I haven't had this plant but for about a month... I have to say I fell in love with it when I saw it. I, as well as others, thought it was a colleus at first. This is definately the most hardiest plant I have.

These plants have withstood prolonged drought that lasted for several months when they were first planted. We then had heavy rains every day for a couple of weeks. It stood up to all that without any problems at all. I've experienced no bug problems with it either. Very colorful and easy to grow here in Houston.

I purchased a Magilla in mid-May and planted it in a glazed pot (approx 10 gal. in size) with good drainage and pot feet. It is in a spot of my yard where it receives full sun from 10 a.m. to 7p.m. Our temperatures jumped into triple digits about 10 days ago, and over the last weekend most of my other plant began to wilt, but the Magilla has held it's own, and more than doubled in size. We are on a drip system which offers a short drink each a.m. and I'm happy to have found another plant that will stand up to this desert heat and beautify our pool area. (All of the sunlight reflecting off the water and light colored walls has not affected it yet either.) Will see how it holds up through our winter.

Have had this plant for about four months now. Some in full sun and some in partial shade. They are all growing well and have been easy to root from cuttings. There has been some damage to leaves caused by unknown sources. Leaves get various shapes of deterioration. Some look as tho they've been eaten. Not having any idea how to treat this problem I have not tried any kind of medication. Anybody having success with treating this???

I could have sworn it was a coleus when I first saw it, then I saw a sign right below it that read, "This is not a coleus." Well, that answered that. :) It's a very interesting plant with about as much variegation as you can get in a leaf. Sure looks like a coleus, though. :)

This plant has performed wonderfully in our humid, hot summer. It has rooted so well, we have many pots ready for gifting. No problem with wilting but have noticed small slits in some of the older leaves. Not sure if it is a critter or just the habit of this plant. But as long as the plant performs this beautifully, it's a keeper!

I absolutely love this plant! I purchased 6 of them this year and have them growing all over. They are deep pink/purple where they receive more sun and green with pink centers in the shade. They make wonderful accents in and around hydrangea, hosta and when mixed with impatiens and other annuals and have survived several weeks of cooler weather and light frosts here in NY so far.

I love this plant! Everyone who sees it comments on it, and it has grown unbelievably fast. I have also rooted some pieces in water and they too have been a success.

I would like to have it again next year...but i am unsure how to preserve it, i would love any tips.

This is a true crowd pleaser. It can take our full Memphis sun. Very easy to take cuttings, roots in about a week, and can set out in 2 weeks. Grosshoppers may be a problem, but the plants are so bushy you really don't see the damage. They are beautiful planted with Profusion Cherry Zinnias. I am going to try and winter-over some plants for cuttings next year.

This plant is so easy to grow and looks fantastic all summer. I overwinter starts of it and also the large plant -- which struggles through until Spring and then takes a few weeks to adjust when it goes back outside. It recovers by early summer and is full and colorful until nearly frost. Try it with lime-colored annuals and stand back! It's great!

WE LOVE THIS PLANT!!!! We live in mid-Western PA and it does rain a lot here. I think Pennsylvania has like 37 sunny days a year that it doesn't rain/snow/sleet etc. First let me establish that I have been know to be able to kill virtually any plant (no kidding, I killed snake plant once in college--bet you thought that was impossible). We planted 7 of these aproximately 6 weeks ago on the side of our house in an area that's about 1/4 sun/ 3/4 shade about 18 inches apart. I thought they were pretty but didn't hold out much hope. We watered them every few days and put some miracle grow on them exactly twice and they just took off! They are now so huge they are touching each other width-wise and almost 2 feet tall. These have approx QUADRUPLED in size and they are sooooo beautiful. Everyone compliments us on how beautiful they are and asks what plant it is. The colors are magnificent from light green to deep magenta to eggplant. I have had such an awesome experience watching these grow that I am actually enjoying gardening for the first time in my life....see what a little success can do for your confidence?! Bottom line it adds color, is low-maintenance, not messy, strong, beautiful, and just looks great!!!

I also bought some of the Magilla variety 1 gallon at Home depot. They are doing fine, however there has been some insect damage on the leaves. I have not experienced any color changes with full sun or partial sun. Makes a great texture change between larger shrubs. Time will tell if they can survive a long time. Have not seen this plant be a fast grower as of yet. Any help would be appreciated on the insect damage because we really love what the perilla adds to our landscape..

I planted this in middle Georgia last month and it is thriving! Its the center of a pot with petunias and mixed flowers around it and everyone loves it. Of course, every person who has commented on it thinks its a coleus. So far so good, but the summer is still early here and we've had lots of rain in the last couple weeks. I have not tried to take cuttings to root new plants yet, but sounds like that is a distinct possibility. I got mine at Home Depot @ $3.99 for 4" pot.

BEAUTIFUL plant! One of the top-ten comment getters in my garden. Roots very easily from cuttings, easier than coleus even. I LOVE it!

I would have given this plant a negative, however, I believe most plants must have at least one or 2 redeeming qualities. I live on the border of zones 8 & 14 in California, and this poor thing was wilting before I even got it in the ground. It perked up a little after more watering, but as soon as I planted it [in a non-boggy area near a man-made creek in filtered shade], it began its slow decline before dying completely. I haven't had that happen too often, so maybe I'll just stick with what I know from now on. The ones pictured sure look beautiful, though.

We had much success the first year we trialed this plant in Baton Rouge, LA. Unlike coleus, this plant did not flower until very late in the season, late September early October, and had very few flower spikes. Plantings occurred in April in full sun and performance was outstanding. No insects or diseases were found, plants continued to flourish under extreme heat, up to 101 F on some days, and survived until first frost in late November.

This is an excellent plant for areas where heat stress and droughtful conditions occur. It is somewhat maintenance free and has a provides excellent color.

Fell in love with this plant the first time I saw it. Grows beautifully in containers. My plant gets some sun for most of the day; multi-colored and lush, it has not gotten leggy, wilty or faded.

I hope to get cuttings to overwinter so I can have this one again next year.

The old-fashioned purple-leaf perilla (Perilla frutescens) resembles purple basil. Perilla, a small genus of annuals is a member of the mint family as is the coleus for which the 'Magilla' is often mistaken. It has vibrantly colored, rounded, almond-shaped leaves with dark purple stems. It is a tremendously fast grower.

It requires moist, well-drained soil and occasional fertilizer. It is said that with more sunlight, its foliage should be more multi-colored and in the shade, it should be more purplish toned. But my plants seem to be a deeper color planted in pots where they receive the most sunlight. I have not planted any in full sun. In all locations, they have grown robustedly.

My 135 pound dog broke off a stem from one of these plants before I could repot it after bringing it home from the garden center. I stuck it (the stem, not the dog) in root stimulator, potted it, and kept it watered everyday for about 5 days. It wilted for 2 days in 108 degree weather - so did I and my dog. This plant now has tripled in size in 3 weeks! It roots more quickly than a coleus does and the stems seem to be more sturdy. I am going to test this one in full sun, in Texas and in the hottest part of the year to determine how tough it is.

At the garden center, I fell immediately in love with them. I bought my brother and my neighbors one each. They are all thriving in various light conditions (none planted in full sun). Here, they were $2.99 for a gallon size plant at Lowe's. Well worth the money!

Just got this plant so can't say how well it's going to do long-term here in coastal Northern CA (zone 9/Sunset zone 17). Supposedly this plant can go all the way full sun to full shade; sun gets more pink/red, shade goes more green/purple. Astoundingly beautiful plant, everyone who sees it wants one!

6 wks later, Aug 2003: Our hot dry CA summer can bleach this plant, but so can too much shade. I'm keeping tabs on 4 of these plants, two of them in full sun, windy coastal conditions, 1 in almost full shade (potted so I can take it out to the sun if it needs it) and 1 in partial shade.

In full sun (5+ hrs) the colors fade, particularly the purple, to a much duller overall appearance. When backlit, however, you still see the vivid magenta color of stems and leaves, so in the right setting it remains very handsome.

In full shade the purple & magenta veining starts to disappear and the plant reverts to cream and green. Even a couple of hours of partial sun brings the colors back quickly, though. Here in coastal Northern CA the colors are best in a partial sun situation -- with humusy, well-draining soil and moderate watering, that's 4-5 hours of sun.

Looks more like Coleus than many Coleus do; I was completely nonplussed when I lifted up the tag at the nursery (I was sure it was a Coleus.)

The commercial grower's notes say it will take full sun better than the best Coleus, too - we'll see!