Fabulous plant for lighting up a shady area! Very easy to grow and propagate by rooting in water; easy to keep indoors over the winter and re-plant in the spring.
This is a newer cultivar of Coleus that has narrow, jagged leaves of lemon yellow with a red splash down the center of the leaves. It is an upright, compact form, usually growing to about 16 to 24 inches. It is one of those sun-tolerant cultivars and it can be grown in light full shade, though it won't be as bright as when it receives some direct sun. It is usually sold in separate cup-like pots.
From 'The Floral Magazine', 1881:
"It is somewhat difficult for our artist to convey an adequate idea of the richness of colouring found in the leaves of some of the newer forms of the Coleus, as they are intermingled in a striking manner, and many of the hues are exceedingly rich. The splendid novelty now figured was raised at the Mile Ash Nurseries, Derby, by Mr. Edwin Cooling, who will distribute it in May next. The colour of the leaf is bright crimson, veined with darker crimson, and remarkably rich and velvety in appearance. The habit is very free and compact. We are informed by Mr. Cooling that he has tested the qualities of his new variety in the most thorough manner, by growing it by the side of all the best new varieties, and it was generally acknowledged to be the best of its class. As a pot-plant for the decoration of the greenhouse it is unequalled; and in warm situations bids fair to be a most useful and effective bedding plant. We have of late seen several fine new varieties of the Coleus, but that now figured appears to be one of the most distinct and promising."
A neighbor here in zone 9 grew this as a 3' hedge across her house front. She gave me rooted cuttings she had in water ready to pot up. I put 3 in a 2-gallon chartreuse-green pot because it matched the color of the top side of the young leaves that were burgundy on the edge and underside. They grew well in a "morning sun only" spot on my patio. By fall the aging leaves got henna-gold colored on the top side. They got nipped on the tips by an unexpected frost, so I cut back to 6", putting the cuttings in water for new plants. From then on through winter I brought it into my garage when temps fell into the 30s. It survived and sprouted out beautifully in March and has grown to 30" again by June 10, 2018.
The color differences on this one are due, I think, to the amount of water and light it gets. The dark purple one was dry and in medium light. The more red one was wet and in shade.
This plant is excellent in a large pot and the chartreuse edge goes well with creeping Jenny. I had it in a 12" pot, but it should have been in a larger pot. The leaves are 1" or less making it a nice plant for a fairy garden, but would probably need to be trimmed back to keep it in check. It gets about 12-18" tall and 2 feet wide and is a trailing plant. It would be great in a hanging basket. Does well in sun or shade, but the colors are more intense in the shade. It is an annual in my zone 6b.
Pele tends to sunburn and 'bleach out' in full sun (especially hot afternoon sun), but thrives in dappled shade. If it's given full shade or weak sun (as in cuttings that are overwintered), it will lose its "blood spatter" coloring, but it returns once the plant is placed back in some sun. This is one of the few coleuses that I repeatedly overwinter.
Water after planting. Keep the soil moist until new growth appears. After the plant is established, water when the top 1" of soil is dry.
Fertilize once a month with 12-6-6 fertilizer.
If you bring it in for winter, discontinue fertilizing until the next growing season.
There is no coleus like Black Dragon. I just love it. I let mine grow three feet tall and two feet wide this year. Seed I planted was saved seed, so there was variegation in the seedlings, but only in the magenta stripe: some of the seedlings showed it more prominently than others. I saved seed from the biggest and darkest.
The Kong series of coleus is truly spectacular. The Kong Rose shown in my photo was growing in full sun in the spring. Unfortunately, as it heated up, the plant began to fade and melt. While some "sun coleuses" can thrive in full sun, the large-leaved Kong series performs best with more shade.
Solar Eclipse is a very prolific grower that tolerates full sun. Colors can get dark, but it also shows some excellent colors. Thrives both in the ground and in pots.
This is a large upright coleus that retains its colors and does the best in bright shade and plenty of moisture. The leaves are lobed and veined with dark pink. The colors are lime and green on the top of the leaf, and the bottom is the same color as the veining. It is beautiful and valuable for an accent plant or on its own. It blends especially well with pink and green toned caladiums.
This is a large coleus that does well in both sun and shade. The shade colors are dark burgundy, cream, and dark green. In full sun the reds and yellows come out along with the other colors. Its colors are dramatic in both sun and shadem but it looks like a completely different plant depending on the amount of light it gets. Cool or warm temperatures also have an effect on the brightness of the colors.
This is a medium to small coleus. In the shade the colors are more understated, but in full sun, in my zone 3 garden, there is an explosion of color and it becomes a real eye catcher. As most coleuses do, it requires moist soil to look its best.
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