Here is a pot that I plant in memory of my Dad. He always loved coleus and they have been planted in this old planter for yrs!




I don't have as many to choose from and you guys post. Do you exchange seed?

I don't grow them from seeds, but can send cuttings for postage in the fall. I save cuttiings overwinter each year and then buy one or 2 new ones each year as new ones come out. Feel like I should know the name of yours, but it's not coming to me.

Susan, the pkg of seed I planted said Mixed but 98% of them looked like the ones above. I like the dark red ones and the lime green ones. So I missed out on those.

Do Coleus come true from seed?
Since coleus are annuals what's the best way to get some of the same ones for next year?
Can you do cuttings and overwinter them in a greenhouse and plant them in the spring?
Here's the only one I have.
Got it from a nursery, anyone know the name of it?

That's Perilla 'Magilla,' Kid. If that blooms, PLEASE let us know!! Often mistaken for Coleus, even labeled Coleus @ stores sometimes, and has identical preferences & care. But a bloom would be something that is as-yet virtually undocumented in pics, and this plant is thought to be unable to bloom by some. Need a surprising amount of sun while inside for winter at higher latitudes like ours in N. America.

Some of the 'rainbow' or 'wizard' mix Coleus could come true from seed, but unlikely. Whenever you get one you really like, saving cuttings (or the whole big mama plant) is recommended. Even for some of the more common ones, there's no guarantee you'll see it every year. And, with over 2,000 named cultivars, you'll probably want to find as many as possible!

It's not a coleus!?
It was either marked as a coleus or I just though it was a coleus.
Never seen any blooms on it.

Saw this coleus at Lowes today and it was tempting.
I thought it would go great with to a dark green Hosta.
Coleus (Coleus scutellarioides Red Head)
It's kind and of late for annuals. IMO
That's why I asked what's the best way to make a coleus survive for the next spring.

Definitely P. 'Magilla.' It's quite schizo about its' appearance, depending on amount of sun:
Beefsteak Plant (Perilla 'Magilla')

More info than you probably want to read about cuttings. Choose the anecdotes that most closely match your situation. My most important advice is don't wait until the last minute, until exposed to nights in the 40's - plants already freaked out by then.
http://garden.org/thread/go/19...

I find if they flower it's hard to turn back and the new cuttings try to flower right off the bat.. some die after but your perilla will keep for a long time .. won't be a problem keeping cuttings year after year

I like to take cuttings off the coleus in mid Sept. Plant them in 3" pots of fresh potting soil. Then I let them sit outside to start growing roots and take them inside late Sept to early Oct before it gets too cold. I just keep my in a South facing window overwinter. Nice if you can keep them under lights. They may get too tall before winter is over. If so, I take cuttings off the cuttings and pot them up inside so that they start to root before moving them outdoors. Any time you break a piece off during the summer, you can just stick it in soil and often it will root. I've gotten about 6 new plants off my trailing rose this summer just doing that.

Here you can see what my coleus cuttings looked like last fall. Looks like I did them early Sept. going to wait a couple weeks yet since things seem to be a little behind this year. About half my cuttings died over the winter, mostly because I forgot to water them enough. I always take way more than I need and always have enough to give to friends.

The thread "Cutting Addict and a few to ID" in Coleus forum

My method is exactly like Susan's! By mid February they put on a teenage type of growth spurt and I take more cuttings. They all reside at east, south or southwest windows. I do not water them often since I've had too many problems with scale when I did (obviously) overwater.

By mid-May they go outside providing the weather cooperates.

Just returned from a visit to the Sunken Gardens here in Lincoln NE. Posted photos on the public garden forum but thought I'd link to it here. If you look at the photos there are coleus through out the garden. Must be thousands. Also lots of cannas and elephant ears. Lots of red, yellow and orange this year. Almost no pink.

The thread "Sunken Gardens Lincoln NE" in Public Gardens Photo Tours forum

A little pot I put together from clippings from around the gardens.

Striking combination Cinta. Do you know the name of the rust coleus with the green edge?

A few coleus photos from the garden:

stilldew said:Striking combination Cinta. Do you know the name of the rust coleus with the green edge?

No I got it in one of those 6 packs at Home Depot this year. No one in my area was selling named coleus this year. Not even my local nursery that sell them every year. Everyone had those 6 pk for 1.00.

I have a question. Is there a trailing coleus that would look nice in a hanging basket?

Also, what is the best way to collect seeds? Thank you

Yes, Teresa! This one gets too heavy to hold itself up.
Coleus (Coleus scutellarioides 'India Frills')

Never had a plant show up as a result from saving seeds, but have a few sprouts this year, from seeds that just fell off of blooming plants! They're in a newer spot that's never been mulched or had compost added yet, (extremely unusual for me, I start most new beds by smothering grass with cardboard & mulch/leaves.) The naked soil surface could be what they need to sprout. Plants that sprout from saved seeds may or may not look like the mama plant, a general rule when saving seeds from any hybrid/cultivar plants.

Cinta, that's odd! Any theories about why your stores were Coleus-less this year? Pretty pot!

purpleinopp said:Yes, Teresa! This one gets too heavy to hold itself up.
Coleus (Coleus scutellarioides 'India Frills')

Never had a plant show up as a result from saving seeds, but have a few sprouts this year, from seeds that just fell off of blooming plants! They're in a newer spot that's never been mulched or had compost added yet, (extremely unusual for me, I start most new beds by smothering grass with cardboard & mulch/leaves.) The naked soil surface could be what they need to sprout. Plants that sprout from saved seeds may or may not look like the mama plant, a general rule when saving seeds from any hybrid/cultivar plants.

Cinta, that's odd! Any theories about why your stores were Coleus-less this year? Pretty pot!

I think it is cost. Everybody is cutting back. The named coleus they charge a bigger price and I saw them last year just sitting there at the end of summer. My local nursery charges 4.99-5.99 for the small pots of named coleus. The little 6 packs are 1.98 and those are always gone if you do not get there early. We had late cold snaps this year and the six packs at Lowes and HD died. I just happened to pick up a pack before the frost in May.

I guess I am not the only cheap gardener that refuse to pay 6.00 for one little annual. Because the nurseries sure are not selling out of the expensive name coleus.

That's cool, TY. I was worried the downy mildew I heard about 2 yrs ago was becoming more widespread and had affected the supply.

Couple more seedlings. The one behind looks potentially interesting... IDK if they'll survive being scooped & brought inside in a couple months, but sure will try.

Do you ever have aphids or a tiny flying white insect on your coleus? I have a mixed pot and came in from watering and have an infestation on one pot!