I love Coleus. It might just be the perfect container annual.

Because the foliage is the star of the show, you never have a dull moment while waiting on the next bloom to open up. The range of available colors is out of this world, not to mention the many different leaf shapes. Of course, most of us are at the mercy of whatever our local nurseries carry, but most nurseries stock a few varieties, or at least enough to compliment any of the other annual flowers available.

Vegetative Coleus

Coleus found in nurseries are most often reproduced through cuttings rather than seed. These are called vegetative Coleus and are reproduced this way to ensure the desired genetic traits (colors, leaf shape, and growth habit) are passed on from the parent plant to its offspring.

Vegetative Coleus generally flowers less than seed-grown varieties and therefore requires less pinching. You can easily propagate Coleus at home by taking cuttings 3 to 4 inches from the tip of a stem, removing the lowest leaves, and slicing the end at an angle with a sharp blade. Use a rooting hormone solution and stick the sliced ends in potting soil with good drainage.

Since you can create many plants from one, taking cuttings is great for those of us on a budget. There are over 600 varieties of vegetative Coleus and more than 30 varieties of seed-grown Coleus on the market today.

Growing from Seed

Growing Coleus from seed is also pretty easy and great for those of us on a budget, since a pack of seeds usually costs between $1 and $5, or the same as buying one plant at a nursery. Start them indoors several weeks before the last frost date for your zone to have plants ready to set out once warm weather officially arrives.

Caring for Coleus

Besides occasional pinching to shape the plants and remove blooms, Coleus are pretty low maintenance annuals.

Pinching is basically pruning and simply means removing part of a stem that looks unbalanced because it is growing faster than the rest of the plant. Also, pinch off any blooms since they detract from the foliage. Coleus requires consistent moisture and will droop easily when dry. For those with deer and rabbit issues, plant Coleus in containers out of reach of these hungry critters since they will chew stems right down to the ground.

Varieties

When shopping for Coleus, pay attention to the tag or description to make sure you’re getting the right variety for your needs. Every variety of Coleus I have ever tried has done well in part shade and shade, but many varieties are labeled for sun and will lose some of their vibrancy if planted in shade and vice versa.

Also, pay attention to the mature size. Coleus plants mature anywhere between 8 to more than 36 inches tall and wide, not to mention the trailing varieties.

Lastly, there is one variety of Coleus I am not a huge fan of, and that would be the Kong Coleus. For me, it has just never been as reliable and always fails to reach its mature size. Also, its large leaves are more susceptible to damage and often end up looking ragged after inclement weather. So, stay away from Kong varieties, but other than that go nuts and find a Coleus for every corner that needs some color.