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Coleus with English Ivy in a Strawberry Pot
Photo © Kerry Michaels
I am a recent convert to coleus. I used to think it was kind of a fusty old plant that didn't really interest me. Now I can’t get enough of it.
Coleus is a really good-natured plant - not at all fussy. Many of them are as happy in the sun as they are in the shade. The colors that coleus comes in are jaw-dropping. Even an ordinary coleus, when paired with the right thing can be spectacular.
The colors of coleus are often so intense and sometimes downright weird that you do have to be particularly careful when mixing them with each other. However, my suggestion is go a little wild. Have some fun and try improbable color combinations – sometimes they work beautifully.
Comments
I love coleus! I have a very shady porch, and coleus is one of the few really colorful plants that will grow well there.
I grew ‘Black Dragon’ last year, and I just loved it. So dramatic!
Tim and I planted coleus in our window boxes this spring, surrounded by that wonderful lime-green sweet-potato vine. One of the neighborhood delinquents pulled every plant out and threw them on the sidewalk. Urrr.
We tucked them back in, watered them well, and today they’re spilling out all over the place in vivid reds and greens. We just love them, and we get so many remarks about the gorgeous color.
Just remember to pinch off those blooms! I hate to see a beautiful coleus gone all leggy and ugly because no one has pinched off the flower spikes.
My outdoor potted coleus is giving me a nervous breakdown! I baby it and still giving me troubles. Five plants in huge pot, great drainage and all seem ok but some holes in leaves. I have sprayed for bugs. One plant is droopy the rest are good! All the leaves have a film on them! I have them under covered patio with afternoon filtered light. What am I doing wrong???? Any help is appreciated as Im at my wits end!
Hi Susan – First don’t assume it’s your fault! There are all kinds of things that could be wrong and there may be more than one thing going on.
Start with this article http://www.ct.gov/caes/cwp/view.asp?a=2823&q=377630 and see if it helps.