Coleus is a tropical deciduous plant with low maintenance and a good choice for all gardeners. The bright and colorful leaves will surely make your summer garden pop up! With all the beauty to offer, why not plant it inside as well? Learn how to grow coleus as a houseplant or as an annual in planting beds.
Coleus is native to Malaysia and is a tropical plant that is only hardy in zones 10 and 11. Coleus, botanically known as Plectranthus scutellarioides, treated as a summer bed or annual plant everywhere else. Indoors, you can also grow them as houseplants.
Coleus flowers look like nails of small blue or purple flowers. While sweet, most people plant coleus for living foliage. The leaves have a variety of leaf edges, from plain to ruffled, colors ranging from red, yellow and oranges to green and purple.
Coleus, which is known as fast-growing, is also available in many sizes. Some of the plants become large and upright while other varieties hang, good for hanging baskets.
Appreciated by Victorian gardeners, coleus had since re-emerged in the 1960s and 1970s. Ever since then, they have been a staple in the garden, used to give a little variety to containers and beds with their attractive leaves. Today, many container gardeners grow large coleus collections!
How to grow Coleus plants
Grow Coleus in a container
Coleus works excellently as a container plant. In fact, they prefer loose potting soil rather than dense soil found in the garden. When planted in a container, they quickly fill the space and illuminate the arrangement with their attractive foliage.
If you are planting in a container, make sure the pot is large enough to handle the plant in its full size.
Grow Coleus in the ground
If they grow in the garden, coleus plants grow best in moist, well-draining soil. The plants have fibrous roots that like to be moist and cool. Top-dress the soil with compost in a garden planted with coleus.
Space plants 10 – 12 inches apart. Read the label for specific variety information. Gardeners should plant coleus, like all annuals, in soil with organic matter.
Like Colelous shade or sun?
The plant love shadow. They grow best in full to partial shade. When planted in full sun, they become bony and look washed out.
When you look at the leaves, you can always see if the coleus is getting too much sun. The leaves lose their color and may even appear burnt.
If this happens, feel free to move the plant, avoid areas with western exposure.
Coleus indoor plants
An annual outdoors, the coleus can also grow indoors as a houseplant. Whether it is year round or just for the winter while you wait to plant them outside, the plant will happily grow indoors.
Indoors, coleus plants like strong light but not hot direct sun. Avoid west-facing windows unless the plant is far away from the window or protected by a curtain. They tolerate minimum indoor temperatures up to 60 ° F and humidity levels up to 30 percent.
When planting indoors, be sure to use high-quality potting soil and liquid fertilizer. This ensures that they get enough aeration for their roots and lots of nutrients to grow to their full potential.
Coleus Care Guide
Water
Coleuses are thirsty plants. Not at all drought tolerant, they require frequent watering. As a shade lover, if your plant often gets sunlight, keep an eye on it for any drooping leaves. They are quick to wither but will also recover within an hour after receiving a good watering. Feel free to film a time-lapse and witness it for yourself!
On hot days, water your coleus every day … if not twice! For indoor plants, water every 2-3 days when it is warm. In general, keep the plant hydrated but never leave it in moist soil.
Fertilization
A fast-growing plant, a small coleus in the spring can easily turn into a large and full-bodied plant at the end of the season. If you are considering filling containers, hanging baskets or beds, you can give it some liquid fertilizer to encourage it to reach its full potential.
Use a diluted liquid fertilizer while watering once a week or every other week. When planting, you can also add slow-release fertilizer.
Pruning
Like all plants in the garden, you can keep the coleus healthy by removing flowers and dead leaves at regular intervals. Coleus grows fast and you may want to shape it throughout the season. Otherwise, it may look long-legged. When it grows tall, cut off the top to encourage the plant to shrub out.
Coleus can also become long-legged indoors, especially during the winter if it extends after sunlight. Indoor gardeners should cut the stems to encourage a bushy plant and replant the plant every two years or when the plant grows out of the container.
Pests and diseases
Outdoors, snails can disturb the coleus when planted in a very shady area. Indoor gardeners can see spider mites, mealybugs or whiteflies. These are insects that are traditionally found on many houseplants and can be treated according to this guide.
Coleus reproduction
If you like coleus I have good news for you! Propagating the tropical plant is super easy and requires very minimal effort. The tropical plant prefers water reproduction, which means that you simply take a cutting, put it in water and watch the roots grow.
To take your cut, you prefer it to be 4-6 inches long. On top you will have a set of four leaves and a couple of sets of leaves on the stem. Cut just below a node (where the leaves attach to the stem).
Once you have your cuttings, remove any lower leaves so that they will not sink underwater. Place your cutting in water and place it in strong, indirect sun.
The plant roots quickly. When the roots are an inch long, you can transplant the cuttings into the soil.
Propagating coleus is one of the best annual garden tricks. At the end of the gardening season, take some cuttings of your coleus and propagate them inside. While the outdoor plant dies in the cold weather, the plant babies thrive indoors.
In the spring, they will be large and ready to be planted outside again. Repeat this every year to get continuous coleus without spending a penny!
To learn more about reproduction, be sure to check out this detailed guide to reproduction!
What is a Scaredy-Cat Plant?
You may have heard rumbling about scaredy-cat plants. An old woman’s fairy tale says that a species of coleus, Coleus caninastinks SO bad that all cats, dogs, rabbits and other small creatures will stay as far away as they can.
Unfortunately, I’m here to expose this myth. Although the plant really has a skunky smell, cats do not seem to mind. But the beautiful, light blue flowers can attract some pollinators to your garden such as bees and butterflies.
If you are planting a scared cat plant, always wear gloves when planting or pruning the plant. Although cats may not hate the smell, I really do! When touched, rubbed or cut, the smell intensifies.
