The Garden Chameleon

Watching a new gardener as they encounter coleus for the first time is a sheer delight for me. Their eyes light up and are inspired to learn more. Coleus (Coleus scutellarioides) is the “jack of all trades” of the annual flower garden. There is nothing this plant cannot do—that’s why it is a favorite among many in the plant world! Adaptability is the name of the game with coleus. It brings great versatility to the garden, is easy to propagate at home, and even makes for a colorful houseplant in the gray wintertime.

Using Coleus in Garden and Porch Design

Coleus foliage could be described as a chameleon in the garden. With its multitude of colors and patterns, it can shapeshift into anything to suit your garden design. Since the late 1800s, plant breeders have been creating new hybrids of coleus with new colors, textures, and growth habits. Coleus can be found in a sundry of vibrant colors—lime green, pink, red, magenta, and more. Its lobed/crenate leaf margins and ruffled leaf hairs (called “trichomes”) bring superior texture and brightness to any front porch or landscape. So, what about lighting requirements? Traditional Kong® varieties require full shade to morning sun, while newer hybrids can handle full sun if given adequate moisture. It is not particularly drought tolerant, preferring evenly moist soil.

Use coleus as a mounding filler in your garden bed or porch pot. Coleus provides stunning stripes or blocks of color in a garden bed. In porch pots, some taller cultivars of coleus may provide height as a backdrop to shorter, flowering annuals like petunias and calibrachoa. Trailing varieties such as Great Falls® Angel look wonderful in porch pots, too!

Propagation

Starting from seed: Coleus is simple and rewarding to propagate. Seeds can be found at any local garden center, and many are available online. Sow seeds in a flat or shallow container filled with a pre-moistened, fine textured potting mix. Broadcast seeds evenly across the soil and cover with a fine layer of more soil. Mist or spray the soil with water and cover the seeding container with plastic wrap or a plastic covering to retain humidity. Place the container in a warm, brightly lit area. Within two weeks, seedlings will begin to sprout. Remove the plastic covering as soon as you see seedlings emerge. At this time, it is important to allow the soil to dry out between watering so that the seedlings’ roots can receive oxygen and be encouraged to search around the tray for water. Strong roots = strong plants! When your baby seedlings have at least one set of true leaves, they are ready to transplant.

Vegetative cutting: Coleus can be propagated from vegetative cutting, too! Take a stem-tip cutting with at least two nodes (growth points), remove the bottom set of leaves, and stick the cutting into a moist, general purpose potting mix. Ensure at least one set of nodes is beneath the surface of the soil. You may use a rooting hormone to speed up the process if desired, but coleus plants root easily without this. Keep the soil moist. Gently tug on the cutting every few days to check for root development. If you feel resistance, check for visible root development. The young roots are fragile, so be careful not to damage them! Again, as roots begin to develop, allow the soil to dry between watering to encourage root establishment. When you see new leaves developing, the cutting is ready to be transplanted.

For the Patio Garden er: Bringing Coleus Indoors

For the patio or apartment gardeners: don’t dismiss coleus as simply an outdoor plant. With enough bright light (beside a window with southern or eastern exposure), coleus makes for a colorful houseplant. Varieties more suited to shade/low light, like the Kong® coleus, will especially fair well indoors. Bring this plant inside in the fall when temperatures begin to dip below 55 degrees. Ease back on watering, as the indoor environment is more protected than outside. With less light and air movement around it, your plant will dry out more slowly and require less watering.

Consider incorporating coleus into your flower beds or containers—its multitude of hybrids can morph into whatever suits your design plan, offering a unique and bold look to your yard and home this spring.

Grace is a budding horticulturist and passionate plant enthusiast. Her love for all things botanical began in her mom’s garden and love for the outdoors as a child. Grace attended Kansas State University and earned her bachelor’s degree in horticulture. She currently works in the greenhouse annuals department at Colonial Gardens in Blue Springs, MO.