purple I am sorry I am late. I do not come here often because it is so slow.

First I have to voice my complaint also about the selection of coleus that the nurseries carry. That hideous thing that you descibed I saw everywhere this year was sad.

The one nursery that I usually go to at best only have maybe one that might catch my fancy. This year I went late and he said they were sold out. If something sells out that fast you would think the nurseries would catch on and order more and have a good selection.

I am also like you I will not order a coleus especially the cost for a small twig and over the top postage is my issue.

This is what I found this year.

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Marquest,
That first plant you have a photo of, I found too. And rooted cuttings, and will attempt to overwinter. It was labeled "Joseph's Coat Amaranto Triolor 'Mai Tai'".

I can't tell you how long I spent trying to figure out WHAT it was, i.e annual, tender perennial, etc... But I liked it so much that I'm trying to overwinter, not a clue how. Tag it came with said shade, so I have it in south window.

purpleinopp, I'm so computer challenged, you could give me the most simplistic steps for posting photos and at present, I wouldn't have a clue... yet... But I'm still working on ID'ing the ones I've found and pray to have live overwinter...

Names I'm sure of... Careless Love, Mr Wonderful (love), Ollie, Peter Wonderland (love), Alambama Sunset, Cantigny Royale (slow growing, small, duck footed), Bronze Pagoda (Love), I still have 2 I need to ID...

I had some lime thing, but decided not to save as it seems to get grey or bleached as it grows, and I was sick of continually chopping, though I may break down and try to save a cutting (NO more!)...I've gotten cuttings from friends.

You also seem to have a piece of it in last photo, in the middle cup. WHen you found yours, was it labeled "named"??? I was happy to see it!

All these I ID'd through websites, it was fun? I PRAY I can overwinter okay, many say they are very finicky (light, humidity, etc).

Amy

Thanks for the hint what my first pic was. I got it as a cutting and thought it was a colus.

If you are talking about the last one in my pic and not purples post. I do not have a clue of a name I picked it up at the nursery as a annual 6 pack plant that was only labled as colues.

I have tried to save colues several times through the winter and have never had much success. This year I am going to put them in aquariums that I do not use anymore and I have two terrariums that I am going to use. It seems the humidity is why I have failed to keep them alive.

Marquest, I think the plant in your first pic is an Alternanthera. Very similar to coleus. Thanks for sharing the pics! I love looking at them all!

grey, your plant may go dormant over the winter but don't give up. Overwatering and subsequent root rot is usually how I go wrong during the winter. If you want to double your chances of success, you could try keeping a cutting in a bottle of water until spring. Although some may prefer shade in the summer, in the winter, coleus and Althernantheras need lots of light.

I had some lime thing, but decided not to save as it seems to get grey or bleached as it grows... This is one of the fun things about coleus - trying to figure out where to put each one so you get the colors you like best. It blows me away sometimes the difference in colors from different amounts of sun. I would prefer if the leaves on my yellow/lime plant wouldn't turn whitish but they kind of "glow" in the dark, so that's cool.

Purple, I saw yours, now, do you want to see mine?? :)

Coleus and Althernantheras are so pretty. My favorite is A. Party trio, something or other. Three gorgeous colors.

Purple, I love your yellow/gold Coleus. Never saw one quite like it.

Marquest, my favorite of yours is the third pic, potted with variegated Ginger. It's beautiful.

Anyone planning on taking cuttings?

This summer, I wanted Althernanthera Party Trio, but couldn't find it, however, for the first time I bought super-large leaf Coleus. Pics aren't the best, but the Coleus are/were really nice. Usually, large leaf types are over my budget, but these guys were on sale in 4" pots.

Red Amaranthus and Salvia in front.

The tag said Amaranthus, but not sure.

Mix of Salvia and Amaranthus???

About the Coleus. I normally choose by color and shape. This last summer, I bought for size of leaves, otherwise, the coloring isn't anything special.

Leaves are/were 8-10" long. Newer foliage is starting to grow in smaller since days shortened.

Marquest, I adore the shapes of your Coleus in pic 2.
On first glance, I thought pic 1 was, Iresine 'Chicken Gizzard,' but guess not. Toni

Oh I just love love love those coleus, Toni!! And, yes, I think the "red thing" is one of the Amaranthus.

That yellow coleus has been co-star of my "show" this year. I wasn't that crazy about it when I bought it this spring but it was one of the few they had and it was the best decision. It looks great wherever I put it, and really pops next to purple and hot pink. In the past month, I've put cuttings in shadier spots and that's making them get quite a bit of red coloring.

The more I play with these plants, the more amazed I am. I know of no other plant that can make completely different colored leaves based on various sun exposures. The option is usually "more colorful vs. faded-looking."

Finally got a photo sharing account that allows remote linking:

1

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6

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7 - the leaves on this plant get pretty big, but not 8-10"!

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Purple..I see what you mean. Is the red on Yellow Coleus in more sun? Amazing.
Are any getting direct sun? AWW!! I'd fear they'd burn or really fade. Happened to a purple leaf Coleus a few years ago.

The red stems on the Yellow Coleus is striking. Wow!!
I really like the yellow.

Your Persian Shield/Strobilanthes is doing great, too. I can't find PS anymore. It used to be sold in most garden centers..not anymore. I love the purple and silver.

Seems there are four leaf size Coleus. Small, medium, large and extra-large.
Two years ago, Home Depot had extra-large Coleus in 10" pots, but the prices were sky-high. Had to pass.
Your leaves, in the last pic, look large..and very pretty.

I started with 2 of the yellow coleus, both in sun until about 2 pm. Those plants are all yellow, with the older leaves turning almost white. The cuttings I've put in more shade have started developing red on their leaves. It makes me say wow, too.

The leaves of the plant in the last pic are about 4", that's a little basil cutting just behind it to the left. That plant gets dark, almost brown in more sun.

I wrote to you on "tradescantia navicularis" thread. It slipped pretty far down the page since then. I think you missed my last entry on that?

Al, those are some of the best coleus I've ever seen. Nice!

Had to cut all of mine down last night due to frost concern. I couldn't put this leaf in the compost without taking its' picture first. Grew this one from seed this year. I know it's just a wizard, but it's the biggest leaf I've seen on one. Wish computer had the sense of touch, this leaf is so soft and velvety:
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Well this is unexpected but really cool. The leaf I took a pic of for the last entry in this discussion has developed roots. It kept looking good so I just left it in the cup of water and this is what's happened.

About the above pic, that leaf never grew anything but roots. But I did more experimenting this year and it is possible to grow a Coleus plant from just one leaf BUT there must be a bit of stem attached to the petiole. If not, all you will get is roots.

Here's more Coleus pics:

More from this year.

Coleus 'Florida Sun Jade'

Coleus 'Indian Summer'

Coleus 'Stormy Weather'

Coleus 'Henna'

Coleus 'Red Ruffles'

Love it, Maureen!

Gorgeous ! Purpleinopp

Thanks! I've started taking cuttings, narrowly escaped frost a few nights ago. Keeping an eye on that...!

I take cuttings too before the frost, so easy to grow .I am thinking about starting a collection

Here are some others I have

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NightN, those are Pretty! Makes me want to go shopping right now... if only I knew where to buy any Coleus in December.

Lucky for me I live in the caribbean so there is no cold weather to bother or plants,so they can sstay out all year long

Oh, now I am really jealous! That is my goal eventually. Hope you're enjoying a beautiful day! The windows are open here today, at least.

I know I'm late to the party, but I wanted to share my Coleus pics. Problem is, I could only find two! I've been growing Coleus from seed for about 10 years. Then I discovered how easy they are to root in water. Everywhere I go, I snap a piece of someone else's Coleus. (Shh... don't tell)
Here are some of the coleus I bought in May (in the tray) and some grown from seed (in the blue and white pot)

And here are some of the same ones four weeks later. (Plus others I moved in and out) They grew so big so fast, I had to spread them out across the beds. (So a few from the first pic aren't in this pic) That mottled one in front of the first pic stayed low and grew slower. The 'Electric Lime' is my favorite so far.

I have Coleus fever right now so bad! I wonder if it would be faster to grow from seed or wait for the nurseries to stock up?!

Hey, great Coleus! I have a ton of seed from last years' plants. I want to wait until it's warm enough to do them outside though. Tons of cuttings are still alive, also anxiously awaiting spring!

I never let mine flower, so I never have seeds. Maybe this year I'll let ONE of each plant flower so I can have seeds.
I just walked outside and took these pictures of my "leftover" Coleus. The only ones that survived the three light frosts. (The yellow one and both 'Limelight' survived, and one 'Trusty Rusty.')

That's exciting! Those should be huge this year. I forgot to ask, what's the tiny plant(s) in the pot with your corn plant? Wish I had more nice pots like that.

That pot is a funny story. I do hair. But I've hired myself out to decorate Christmas trees for local businesses, work as a "laborer" for a friend who does tile, and in this case, paint people's houses (inside), among other odd jobs I do more for fun or to be nice. LOL!
A hair client asked my tile friend to come do some odd jobs in her condo. I tagged along to help, and ended up painting. Which led to her finding a million other odd jobs for us to do, including cleaning out her storage unit. She had two pots, this one and another just like it but in dark brown. She said to throw them away, so I kept them. So now every time I see one of those two pots (which are now on my screened porch), I think of how sore and exhausted I was by the time she was finished running us ragged.
The plant under the corn plant is Vinca Vine, but I didn't let it trail, I just kept laying it in a circle around the corn plant.

Hmmm, I replied to this yesterday but it's not here. For some reason replies aren't going through instantly lately, I must have closed the window too soon. Oh well, I've got a pic to add today anyway.

Enjoyed your pot story, free pots are the best kind!

After frost defoliated all of the Coleus, I went through the beds pulling up the stumps and the one pictured below looked like it still wanted to grow, and is one I don't have a ton of cuttings of, so I potted it up and it's going to be a fantastic plant this year!

It's really ready to explode, isn't it!

Pretty pictures here.Marquest's first picture of Sept ,2011 is an Iresine.Purple posted a picture of it on Facebook.today.

rose AKA Doris

Doris, I totally forgot about the mystery in this thread. I agree with your diagnosis. Great work - and memory!

"You people" are such enablers! I realized that in addition to all of the cuttings in water, there are 4 actual Coleus plants living in the house in pots - the saved stump, a seedling, a cutting appropriated from a planter at a wedding, and one that was a cutting in spring, thrust into a pot of Tahitian bridal veil to give it some height. All doing great. So thanks, but I didn't need to know this... that I really do have enough light in here for that... what about self control this coming fall?

This seedling showed up last fall...

Hey, is everyone getting excited about spring and what Coleus you might see this spring? I know I am. The general consensus hope around this area is that this weekend will be the last of the frost.

Cuttings are impatient to get back out, and seeds are anxious to be sown...

Also checking in today to ask fans of Coleus to add yourself to my request for a Coleus forum if you are in agreement with the idea. TIA!

I notice many of the coleus you all have outside are still in pots. Is that just for ease of bringing back inside at the end of the season? I have huge collection of cuttings that I've been keeping all winter and planning to plant out in the ground (if it ever gets warm enough here). Do your coleus do as well in the ground as in pots, or should I consider planting them into pots for outside? Thanks for any comments.

Martha

I do put most of them in the ground for the summer, then take cuttings. The plants always get WAY bigger in the ground, IME. I know the season is much shorter up there, lived in OH my whole life until a few years ago. So I never had the chance to see them get really big but they would grow fast enough to be able to take cuttings and spread them around within a season.

That's how I treat the new ones I get. Always put it in the ground right away, start taking cuttings, maybe half of the plant right off the bat, if the "mama" isn't in a prominently visible location.

I don't try to save whole plants over winter, but that's because it went so badly in OH, in the basement with shop lights... ugh! Had they been treated better, in a good window, probably would have went much better. Many people report having great luck keeping big potted Coleus over winter. With all of the other house plants I have, still don't have the space, so just do cuttings in bottles/jars of water. They sit in the windowsills for a few months until they can be planted back outside.

I keep all of mine in pots because as springs turns to summer and summer turns to fall, the sun's trajectory moves noticeably in the area I have them in. I need to be able to give them more sun and less sun throughout the 9-10 months they live outside. (Which is why, in pictures of my back yard in the same growing season, the pots have all moved around and around.)

just got a cutting from a friend of mine that said this was a coleus. does anyone know what type it is?

Hi Kate! Looks like some kind of cane Begonia to me. I just sat down to take a break from saving Coleus and Begonias from possible frost tonight. That would be the wrong kind of white-ness on the leaves, huh?

Frost???? Are we already worrying about FROST???? DARN it, where'd my summer go?????

thanks so much for the insight purple! i did look up cane begonias and from what the mother plant looks like and my cutting it sure is a match!

SS, it was a false alarm, but it is alarming. Back to summer, for a few anyway. Hope all is well down your way!!!

YW, Kate, I love Begonias almost as much as Coleus.

wow!! everyone's coleus are absolutely gorgeous!! makes me want a bunch... i'm gonna buy some next spring and see if they will grow here, maybe in pots (PHX, AZ). purple, when I move back to Bama, me and you gotta get together LOL - I LOVE coleus and begonias - well.... basically ALL plants. can't wait to have a garden again. hope the next few years go by quick. There's a coleus that I want to find, an old-timey one that my grandmother used to have (don't know the name)
Debbie

Debbie, that's great, come home soon! Happy hunting for gramma's Coleus! I bet you'll have a lot of cool cactus/succulent plants to bring back from the desert anyway.

Here's one I haven't seen before - Alligator Tears. Your pictures are all so enticing, I had to start shopping for coleus early!

Lennie in Michigan

That's an interesting Coleus! Thanks for sharing it.