growing coleus – MINDING MY P'S WITH Q

This is a leaf from one of my favorite indoor coleus. Have I mentioned that in late summer, I choose a few favorites, take cuttings, and then grow the rooted coleus all winter? This gives me many pots of colorful plants and a good head start on summer color. The one above is a favorite. The leaf is large enough to cover my palm. The colors are a great mix, Kelly green, lemon yellow with touches of chartreuse green, and purest pink. I enjoy the textured growth of this leaf, and also the fringed edges. The leaf has a slight downward curve, giving it a graceful swoop as it grows from a strong stem.

Twelve months ago, the large coleus looked much the same as this year’s sprouts. Perhaps a few of them are offspring of this particular plant. The sprouts are just beginning to color and even display different shapes and sizes. I see one in the front that shows promise of interesting texture and color. I planted these coleus using my small seed technique. They are well-spaced, giving each one plenty of room to grow and giving the soil adequate airflow to combat damping-off disease.

The good news is these sprouts are only beginning to develop. They will become prettier, fringed, and deeper textured with each passing day. In about six weeks they will ready to plant into their final pots to wow the borders of the yard with their colors.

2020 Coleus Seeds available for purchase at The Flower Ark Etsy Shop.

My favorite coleus is one I grew from seed several years ago. I call it Raspberry Twizzle. A progeny of several years of cross-breeding coleus in my garden, Twizzle is vibrantly hued, rippled, and boasting scalloped edges. The beautiful color is not guaranteed. The plants in the photograph above are all from the same mother plant. The reason for the lackluster color of the middle coleus: the wrong light conditions. Coleus grown indoors must have very bright morning and early afternoon light. If they are grown in too much shade their colors will fade, even though they retain their fancy frills and ripples. Strong afternoon light will have the opposite effect, and make for faded color.

Coleus root in plain tap water. This cutting is only a few weeks old and is ready for planting. If you have coleus growing outdoors, bring a few sprigs in and keep your plants alive for planting out next Spring.