# How to Trim a Purple Coleus
Originating in tropical southeastern Asia, coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) grows as an evergreen shrublike perennial that becomes a large mound. Drought and frost kill the plants. In the United States, coleus is grown as a summertime bedding plant or houseplant. Countless cultivars exist, all with ornately shaped or brilliantly colored or patterned leaves. Purple-leaved types may be trimmed to promote bushiness or to remove the diminutive narrow flower spikes with lavender-blue blossoms.
Things You'll Need
- Scissors
- Bypass or hand pruners
Instructions
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Pinch back the tip of a branch on the purple coleus with your fingertips. Place your index finger and thumb 1/4 inch above a pair of leaves on the stem and pinch off the stem's tip. This pruning technique is known as pinching.
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Trim back the tips of all branches across the entire coleus. Not all stems need to be pinched back to the same height. Staggering the length or height of branches allows more light to penetrate into the plant to sustain the new leaves that sprout several days later. If the stems are larger and firmer, and your finger won't easily make a pinching snap, use regular scissors or pruners to make the pruning cut.
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Pinch off emerging, elongating flower spikes from the tips across the coleus. Although the flower spikes are interesting, they aren't spectacular and usually mark a growing stage of taller, leggier branches on the purple coleus. Removing the young flower spikes and branch tips shortens the plant and causes denser, leafy regrowth.
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Rejuvenate the entire purple coleus in midsummer or when it has become too large and gangly. Prune the entire plant with bypass pruners, cutting the entire plant back by 50 to 90 percent. You may cut the plant back to a height of only 6 to 12 inches and it will still sprout new leaves that are dense, lush and deeply colored.
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