Coleus

Coleus is a beautiful landscape plant prized for its colorful foliage, which comes in shades of green, yellow, pink, red, and maroon.

Coleus varieties can range from one to several feet in height. They can be used in hanging baskets, containers on patios, or in landscape beds.

These heat-tolerant, durable annuals have very few disease and insect problems. Most will grow best in part shade, but there are many new varieties, some of them developed by the University of Florida, that thrive in full, hot sun.

Coleus plants do best in well-drained soils amended with lots of organic matter. Pinch the growing stems of young plants frequently to encourage dense foliage. Remove flowers as doing so appears to keep the plants from going to seed and declining.

UF/IFAS Sites

• Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc: Coleus Cultivars
• Florida Plant ID: Coleus
• UF Cultivar Releases: Coleus

UF/IFAS Publications

• Coleus Finds Its Place in the Sun (PDF)
• Coleus

Also on Gardening in a Minute

• Coleus Cuttings

Other Sites

• Annual Perfection with Colorful Coleus--Learn2Grow.com
• Chocolate Mint Coleus Offers Incredible Beauty--Mississippi State University Office of Agricultural Communications
• Coleus--Clemson (SC) Cooperative Extension
• Coleus: A Colorful Addition--University of Illiois Extension
• Coleus Finder--coleusfinder.org
• The Colorful Chaos of Coleus--University of Illinois Extension
• Four Ways to Design with Coleus--Fine Gardening
• HortAnswers: Coleus--University of Illinois Extension
• 'Sun' Coleus Shine in the Landscape--Louisiana State University AgCenter
• Yard Need Color? Plant Coleus--Jacksonville.com (FL)
• YouTube: Coleus Provides Continuous Color in Your Landscape--Louisiana State University AgCenter