Crazy for Coleus: History, Varieties & Care Guide

An old Victorian parlor plant makes a 21st-century comeback! Coleus enjoys new popularity with colorful hybrids and sun-tolerant landscape varieties. Easy to grow, inexpensive—Coleus has become a gardener's highlight!

(Editor's note: Originally published August 29, 2007. Comments welcome, but authors of previously published articles may not respond.)

History & Botany

In the last decade, Coleus blumei (commonly Coleus) has resurged. Named by Karl Ludwig Blume (1796–1862), who found it cultivated in Dutch Java; origins unknown, also include Asia and Africa. Also Coleus x hybridus, reflecting hybrid assemblage from closely related species. Genus recently changed to Solenostemon scutellarioides (1990), including ~150 plants in the mint family (annuals and perennials). Coleus typically have square stems, paired opposite leaves, tubular flowers, and can be sweetly aromatic (ever smell your coleus?). Botanical name from Greek koleos (sheath), referring to fused stamens.

Victorian Craze to Modern Collecting

1800s: Coleus frenzy in Victorian England—wild excitement, new varieties auctioned at exorbitant prices. Today similar: new varieties from sports (frequent in coleus) and hybrids sold as year's new cultivar. Plant swaps from cuttings ongoing, hoping for new sport suitable for sale or collection addition. No official cultivar registry makes ID confusing—answers depend on purchase source. Box stores often tag only "Coleus," leaving cultivar ID to buyer. Whimsical names: 'Brooklyn Horror', 'Dr. Wu', 'Kiwi Herman', 'Bipolar Bigolly', 'Blair's Witch', 'Fishnet Stockings', 'Fright Night'. Reading names is a treat itself. New societies forming may address official registry. PlantFiles has 600+ listings; coleusfinder.org lists 1,400+ cultivars/synonyms.

Versatile Garden Performance

Regardless of names, new cultivars make collecting rewarding. Easy to grow/maintain—choice for indoor/outdoor gardeners and designers. Sun-tolerant varieties moved this shade annual into bedding landscape focal points. No longer just accent plants—combinations create stunning colorful groupings. Variety in color, texture, leaf shape, growing form makes each unique for garden or container. Leaf size ranges from <1 inch ('Thumbelina') to 8+ inches ('Kong' varieties). Use in borders, groupings, tree bases, filling barren spots when other plants lose bloom.

From Parlor to Patio

Victorian heyday: parlor plant gracing windows or conservatories. Early 1900s: fell from favor due to unsuccessful overwintering and inferior seed-grown plants. 1920s: C. rehneltianus introduced—collected by Herr F. Rehnelt in Ceylon ruins, later found same as 1837 Philippine specimen growing over tiled roofs. Predecessor of trailing coleus—originally hanging plants, now outdoor containers and ground covers. Many C. rehneltianus cultivars warrant their own collection.

Growing Conditions & Care

Tropical plant—annual in most zones, perennial success in zone 11. Ideal: temps above 60°F, morning sun, dappled shade. Sun/shade balance depends on cultivar—experiment in your conditions. Cuttings retain stronger color, don't go to seed as easily. Sun-tolerant varieties endure more sun, show brighter/deeper coloring. Remarkable foliage pigment range achieves flowering-specimen effect yet remains showy spring to frost. With such foliage, who needs flowers?

Propagation

Inexpensive, easily reproduced from seed or stem cuttings—even leaf or tip cuttings. Root in water, or recommended mix: 2 parts peat, 1 part soil, 2 parts sand (or soilless mix). Commercial moisture-control mixes, peat pots, wedge cubes work well. Take cuttings fall before killing frost; grow as houseplants to brighten winter. February/March: take more cuttings for transplant when weather warms, ensuring well-established plants by midsummer. Cuttings 2–3 inches below leaf node, dipped in rooting hormone, placed in moisture-retentive soil (Miracle-Gro Moisture Control or peat moss added), shaded outdoors after frost danger passes.

Maintenance Tips

• Pinch flowers: Like basil, remove terminal buds when they appear—encourages side branching, more foliage, controls height.
• Spacing: 12+ inches in slightly alkaline soil.
• Fertilizer: Sensitive—dilute liquids to half or quarter strength. Fish emulsion, bone meal, cow manure work wonders (March–September).
• Water: Moist, well-drained soil—no "wet feet" (root/stem rot).
• Pests: Usually disease-free; may attract mealybugs, aphids, whitefly.

Endless Variety

Testament to today's varieties, Coleus as preferred annual has taken on a life of its own. Forms: trailing, mounding, spreading, topiary—add versatility. In public places, gardens, or water on office windowsill, Coleus brightens any area. Need a spot of color? Try a Coleus. But be forewarned: no one can own just one.

References

1. Encyclopedia Britannica
2. Fuller, Harry J. An Outline Of General Botany. New York, 1947
3. Pedley, W.K. and R. Coleus: A Guide to Cultivation and Identification. Great Britain: John Bartholomew and Son LTD, 1974