Coleus: "Black" Coleus, 1 by cathy166

cathy166 wrote:
There are a number of very dark coleuses that look black from 20 feet away, even from 5 feet away. In addition, some are blacker depending on the amount of light they get, i.e., the pink in the center will show a bit with a lot of light. Black star comes to mind, but there are a number of others.

Keep in mind that you may have a black plant and order the same plant and find that they are not the same due to different growing conditions. Theatre Velvet is very dark, and Trailing Black is very dark with think green margins. check out Midnight Rambler and Black Prince.

Around here coleus plants sold in nurseries are often in greenhouses or filtered light or shaded areas. I have noticed that this year's selections have not been so plentiful as prior years in terms of varieties. Plenty of plants, not a lot of variety and not a lot of new varieties. I've purchased about eight or so this year, replacing my favorite Henna which I lost due to a very busy winter and my own negligence.

When you look at photos on line, they may or may not be accurate. If you order and receive the plant that looks like the photo, your conditions may alter its coloration.

My blackest coleus is Purple Emperor, yet I think it will bring up shades of green with a lot of sun. You might like the color, but not the leaf shape. We all have different preferences.

I particularly like black plants to use as accents. For black plantings, I use black Calla lilies, Petunias and Ipomoea (sweet potato) for striking use in containers. The petunias in the photo truly look black from as close as a foot away. If the sun shines from the back, you can see that they are truly dark, dark, dark red.

If you are looking online for a coleus with a black leaf, keep in mind that many of them do not have the word "black" in their names.
Marcia