Coleus Characteristics

Native Habitat

• Coleus is a perennial in its native habitat, which includes parts of Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands, growing where it is protected from hot sun. The colors are most intense in part shade, and the plants, which need regular moisture, require less water in shade. Coleus has been a favorite annual since it was introduced in 1825, and was especially valued during the Victorian era as a bedding plant.

Colors

• Coleus is grown for its beautiful foliage, which offers combinations of red, gold, maroon, yellow, green, pink, orange and purple. Leaves are spotted, edged, splashed and otherwise marked with vibrant colors. The flowers are tiny and pale blue, and gardeners usually pinch off any flowering branches so the plant won’t set seed and die.

Forms

• Coleus comes in trailing and upright varieties and reaches between 6 inches and 3 feet tall. Its leaves can be tiny, such as in the cultivar “Ducksfoot Purple” (Solenostemon scutellarioides “Ducksfoot Purple”) or up to 6 inches across, as in the “Kong” series, with large-leaved, shade-loving cultivars introduced in 2004.

Sun Coleus

• The newest development in coleus are varieties that keep their bright colors when planted in sun. The darker colors, such as burgundy, thrive even in full sun. “Burgundy Sun” (Solenostemon scutellarioides “Burgundy Sun”) has dark maroon leaves edged with gold, and “Kiwi Fern” (Solenostemon scutellarioides “Kiwi Fern”) has small, lacy, burgundy leaves edged in gold. “Alabama Sunset” (Solenostemon scutellarioides “Alabama Sunset”) is an upright cultivar with bright red and yellow leaves.