This coleus never fails to please. It is strong and vigorous without being gangly or too huge, as some coleuses can be. It has strong stems that take very well to propagation. I've had it for many years and hope it will always be part of my collection. If I should ever lose it, I would happily buy it again.
Plectranthus scutellarioides ‘Redhead’ is a strong, upright growing coleus with substantial leaves that hold up well throughout the season.
They have a wonderful velvety texture with a solid deep red color that holds even in sun. It is a large coleus, with a nice branching habit. It is also a late bloomer, so it tends to keep a wonderful compact form through the growing season.
It does well with a timed-release fertilizer at the time of planting.
It will not survive frost/freezing, but it's easy to root cuttings to keep indoors over the winter months. This will give you a nice start on your spring planting. Plant the cuttings in the spring after all danger of frost has passed.
For me this cultivar has much better color in full shade. Reds are more rich burgundy, and the chartreuse green contrast is more pronounced. If the sun gets to it too much, the reds take on a rusty tint and there is less green. I keep most of mine in pots so I can move them around to keep them shaded.
Florida Sun Rose has a lot of variation in its colors through the seasons here in Florida. In cool weather it has lots of pink and yellow, as well as green, red, and purple. As the weather gets warm, the pink and yellow disappear completely and the green and dark red predominate. Late in the fall it begins to change back, going through a very red phase, then putting on the pink/yellow colors again. Never a dull moment with this one.
A wonderful Coleus that has been very easy for me to overwinter. It did very well on a sunny window sill in the winter. In the spring and summer, it's out on the porch. I find that its colors really pop if given a bit of morning sun. It really begins to show pretty red-burgundy edges. If it receives nothing but shade, then it will maintain just a pretty lime-green.
I have noticed that there seem to be two different coleus listed as Songbird. The one I grow is like the one here: http://www.malmborgsinc.com/in... and also shown in a number of other photos. The other one has a green edge and is sold by Rosy Dawn coleus. Not sure which is the real Songbird or if both have the name.
The plants seem to vary greatly in the ratio of green to deep purple.
Some plants were as much as 90% dark and others look like the photo I took -- about 50/50.
This plant is one of my favorite acquisitions this year. I love the way it has different leaf colors, some almost golden and others a true cream with green trim. Some of the leaves have just a little green on the edges. I have ordered some seed for next year. It is not a big plant but very lovely.
I find Sedona to be among the brightest of the coleuses with a bright palette of colors. In sun, the foliage can appear iridescent and it glows a bright red-orange color. In shade, the color is subdued and it can look faded and muddy.
Sedona has the potential to be a large plant, so plan accordingly when you plant it.
New to me last year, Beckwith's Gem was a healthy coleus that seemed to thrive. I'd describe its height as medium for a coleus, but it was anxious to branch out to a full, bushy plant. The contrast of its bright yellow border to dark burgundy makes it a good choice for blending other nearby plant colors.
I grew two Coleus 'Kingswood Torch' plants in 2007. One received full sun and was allowed to get tall and big, and the other one I gave morning sun only and kept it shorter and smaller. Both plants were in mixed containers. The plant that got full sun was in a 20 inch container and the morning sun only plant was in a 14 inch container. As I reflect on the two plants from 2007, I remembered liking the way the morning sun only plant looked. It has a richer and deeper color and I like it that way better than the full sun plant. I'd like to grow this one again, but give it only morning sun. It's a favorite of mine.
I've grown Coleus 'Christmas Candy' once so far, but it's a new favorite of mine because of the bright colorful leaves. I loved the colors of the leaves on the plant that year. The time I grew it I planted it in a container with a few other Coleus plants and placed it with morning sun and afternoon shade. I'd love to get it and grow it again and give it the same lighting that it had before, so I'd get the same colors on the leaves. But, this time I'd grow it in a container by itself so I could enjoy all the leaves. It's a beautiful Coleus and seems to stay smaller and shorter than some of the Coleuses that get big and tall.
Remove flowering stems for best looks.
Easy to overwinter under lights and propagate new plants by stem cuttings in water in spring.
Sometimes plants will start anew with pinch outside and sticking cutting directly into a moist place of the earth.
I need to start remembering to plant 'Alabama Sunset,' starting with next year, where it gets mostly shade, so I will get the deeper and richer look of the leaves.
I don't really like the faded look of the leaves that get mostly sun.
El Brighto is well named. In a sunny spot its bright color and contrasts are outstanding. It is one of my biggest, heartiest, most vigorous coleuses. With adequate pinching it becomes a full, well-branched plant. It is easily propagated by stem or tip cuttings.
Add a plant
Search by name
Search by type
Plant Combinations