Crazy about Coleus

 I love flowers, whether annuals that keep on giving or a perennial that shares its beauty once a year. But for the last 5 years I have gone gaga over sweet leafy Coleus. They are a garden treat that keeps on giving. For starters, they are of the lowest maintenance, only requiring watering. They can thrive in almost any condition. They remain hearty into mid Fall while other plants are withering in the early frosts. But what used to be varying shades of green, has now exploded into wild colors of the rainbow.

Inferno

There are plenty of options available at all Garden Centers. Each year I try something new. But I am aware that I keep seeing the same 20+ options out there and wanted to dig a bit deeper this season. So, I found a handful of seed options online and narrowed it down to one called Swallowtail Seeds. I liked the name; the price was good, and it was hard to narrow my choices down to a mere 4-5 options.

I also found a great blog post from another vendor Seeds Needs that approaches this particular species with a hilarious take on them called Shasay! Shantay! Growing Coleus from Seed. (Their spelling is off, but I'm not going to scold them.) The tone of the post is endearing and should be read. I applaud them for their audacity. It calls Coleus "the Divine Drag Queen of the Garden" to which I heartedly agree. "If your cat got into RuPaul's makeup bag, then chirped all over your yard." Yessss Grl. That image is exactly on point. The article is downright "cheeky."

Kong Rose

Coleus was first noted in 1853 in the mountains of Java by botanist Karl Blume. Their name was originally Coleus Blumei after him. The blog post then goes on to state that there are now more identities of the genus than identities of any female impersonator! I ordered types with names like Volcano, Superfine Rainbow, Fairway Orange and Giant Magma. I would say these qualify.

Now onto my seeds themselves. I don't think I have ever seen something so small. I thought Poppies and Rudbeckia were tiny.... these are microscopic. Each packet contained 50 seeds (I am sure they were not hand counted.) They so fragile, you are not to press them into the ground, just gently scatter them on the surface of the dirt and then allow water and light to permeate the seeds. I started with tweezers, then quickly realized the one-at-a-time method was futile. So, I scattered them into pods and the 50 seeds went quickly. They supposedly germinate in a matter of 15-21 days. I am about halfway through and waiting patiently. They do need both warmth and sunlight which has been a hard commodity in our MN April. The blog notes they are NOT easy germinators and may have stage fright if not exactly the right temperature or UV light. I may also be behind in that they ask for a good 8-week incubation before putting plants outside. But since 70℉ is ideal for the soil, I assume that bench mark is going to be a wait for us this season also. But I'm hoping this next stretch will bring them out in the open.

Special Effects

 Even if you do not go the route of seeds and pick up your own 4 or 6 pack, here are my tips from experience. Put them along borders or edges of your planters - they go for width and not height. Don't get matchy matchy with color tones. They are meant to hold their own and the shades should pop next to the other plants. I am also surprised at how much they grow - build that into the space. This year I plan to feature them on their own, so I am giving them plenty of room. Their stems are fleshy like an aloe or cactus. I often pinch them back as they sprawl into other flowers of your basket or pot, but as mentioned, I am going to let mine thrive into their own this year. At some point around July, they will start to revert to flowers so they can reproduce. The flower is hardly as big a bang as their showy leaves - so snip those tops off and encourage as much growth during a season as possible. I also tried to bring a few inside at the end of last season. But again, like a true Drag Queen Diva - they are tropical in nature and don't thrive outside of their natural spotlight in the full sun. Keep them near a sunny windowsill where they may survive, but at some point, they will retreat as wallflowers until the next tropical Summer.

All this just goes to say, if you are not a Fan or Follower of Coleus - you should be! Please read the Seeds Needs blogpost and check back for a summer update to see how I fared with my Giant Magma.

Shasy! Shantay! Growing Coleus from Seed:

 

Fuzzy Feathers