I believe my new addiction is Coleus. It's been roses, clematis and several other things over the years. I've grown coleus on occassion over the years. I'm just getting the coleus fever!
I would love to see the best pictures, in your own opinions, of what your best container or garden bed has been. My garden style isn't to have lots of pots clustered in one area. I would prefer to see 1 to 3 pots together at most. Not all have to be coleus. Or coleus in your garden & it's companions or full beds of just coleus in ground.
I have a few areas in mind for coleus as my yard goes from full sun to mostly sun. I want to see what wonderful designs are out there but don't want random pots clustered since that's not the design I'm going for - not that it's a bad style, just not for my areas.
I have a half circle that has 3 Crape Myrtles and is against a wooden deck. Last year I had white impatients in this circle and it was lovely but looking for a coleus plan. My deck pots currently are millionbells, geraniums, etc in yellows and fushia. I'm looking for any color but that is a what I have in 2 huge pots on each side of the deck.
look forward to seeing your great shots.
Kathy
show me your best coleus design or container
this is the best of the deck so far
http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a49784d6a55324e6a553d0d0a&blogview=true
those are some beautiful designs! Nice tall pots by the hot tub as well. Thank you for posting.
kathy
I have this corner that is sunny in the Morning till 11 am, and the coleus likes it very much. To the left of the second photo I have my favorite this year the Electric lime coleus, just started to pinch them hoping I can root some and prolong the plant till front. Etelka
Electric Lime willl take to cuttings very well.Go for it.
shitzumom: those are from "The Christmas Tree Shopp" Its similar to "Tuesday Morning" I bought them last year and they wintered well. I had 2 grey 16 inch plastic planters I dropped in and didnt need to fill the talls wit sooooo much potting soil.
Here's some of my favorites:
#1 coleus "Sultana", persian shield, coleus NOID and creeping jenny.
#2 coleus "Dipt in Wine", coleus "Golda" and SPV "Black Heart".
#3 coleus NOID, coleus "Chocolate Mint" and ivy.
Who needs flowers with such colorful foliage? LOL
All of those are really nice.I am making a list of new to me plants.
It's only fair, ge, since I've made notes on YOUR planters. ;) I want Carrot Cake next year! LOL
Kathy: Unfortunately, I live on a sandbar, so all my gardening is done in containers, and my FL heat/humidity/summer monsoons are tough on flowers; so I switched over to foliage plants. I also LOVE how coleus, SPV, creeping jenny and others are easy to propogate into new plantlings...saves me a bit of $$$.
Sharing is what we are here for.
denise,
I LOVE the first one, all are beautiful but I really like Persian Shield and didn't use it this year but that is a great combo. And what's up with the carrot cake? :)
Kathy
Kathy, I had asked ge1836 on the "Container Gardening" thread the name of one of the coleus she used - she told me the name was "Carrot Cake". Very pretty variety and ge has great combos!
I love Persian Shield it almost glows in the sunlight. Found out this year you can root them like coleus - takes forever in water, so tried rooting hormone in potting soil & the process was much faster.
thanks denis.
I dont have any luck with Persian Shield.I try to pinch it but it wont get bushy.They end up looking odd.
My containers look like they are full out bursting. I cant believe its been only 4 days since the last album but another one will come as soon as its light.Potted astilbes are blooming.
Fuschias are not blooming.I probably wont use them next year.Jury is out until I see what the end of July brings.
The alocasias are doing well.I couldnt believe those teeny plants would amount to anything but by July they should make a nice appearance.
I cant believe the difference in only a few days.
http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a49784f4467774e54493d0d0a&blogview=true
becoming favorites
Mixed pot with coleus
I sure wish Shield would gro for me.Thats beautiful
stplong,
that is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!
Kathy
This is my best so far.
OOPS wrong one
i meant this one
Ge and stplong, WOW they are beautiful!!!!!!!!!
I am a total newbie to Coleus (as some of you probably already know), so all I've got so far are these babies, Defiance, and they're in their own containers, but next year, Look Out!! < =D (it's so nice to learn from all of you guys here!!)
I do have a combo planter with a Blood Leaf in it, with some Verbena and Lobelia, but it's not filled out yet, so I'll save that for later. ;)
Next year I will plant more of the orange shade Coleus, I did not get the name. I planted it in the ground, but all the Coleus around it are in pots. By the door I have some red Coleus with yellow rim, it goes nice with the Caledium Florida Cardinal and some Salvia Lady in red. Etelka
I agree, Etelka, it seems like "more Coleus" is always in order, huh? =) What you've shown us here though are absolutely gorgeous!! The plants are beautifully healthy-looking, and they are great together!
I, too, am going to have more Coleus next year, I believe it's a "must".
Ge, I always drool when I see your pics, thank you so much for keeping up with sharing them! I learn a LOT from you, just by looking at what you have, thank you!! =)
How do you think I learned?
I gleened as much fro DG as I could.There are wonderful generous gardeners here
I haven't run across one person here yet that isn't wonderful and generous. And, by the way, you clearly learn well. =)
thanks,I'm drivin.
Kesita,
I would love a few cuttings from the orange one and the green behind it. Those are all so beautiful!
Kathy
Kathy, How would I do that, have never done it before???
from ehow.com
Select a healthy, non-flowering stem that is about 4 inches long and has at least three leaf nodes-the swollen spot where the leaf adjoins the stem. Use a knife to remove the stem. Make the cut right below a node. Remove any leaves from the bottom inch of the cutting.
Cuttings grow best in light, fluffy soil. To make a nice, lightweight growing medium, mix together perlite and soilless potting mix in a 1:1 ratio. Pre-moisten this soil by adding water until the mix is damp, but not soggy. Fill a plastic pot with the mix, leaving at least a ½ inch of space between the top of the soil and the rim of the tray.
---when I've received cuttings before they were rooted in water first. I don't know how they would ship in this heat without roots. If you do take cuttings, even this fall, just stick the cuttings in water and keep the water fresh until you see roots. Then wrap them in a damp paper towel placed in a baggie (not the entire plant just the roots).
If anyone else has suggestions for rooting/shipping let us know. I will gladly send you postage and/or something for trade. But this is an easy way to keep coleus growing inside when the plant grows older and not so pretty. They can be houseplants in a sunny window for some people.
Kathy
EDITED to share this post on DG
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/596774/
This message was edited Jul 6, 2012 4:19 AM
Thank you shitzumom, it was very helpfull. I have rooted coleus but I never mailed it to anybody. Right now I have some already rooted, some trailing coleus and some others that have nice sets of roots. I can root some of the ones that you wanted and will take a few weeks, by that time the weather should break, I hope. Etelka
This is the picture of the trailing cloeus, I have one other color and smaller leaves but it is just growing, not time to pinch it yet.
The "Plant Trading" forum has stickies showing the best way to mail cuttings and plants. Very informative. Maybe I'll give it shot this fall if anyone is interested in any of my coleus. A little too warm now, LOL.
I'm interested in trading with anyone - postage or other plants. I'm very interested in Coleus this year.
Kathy
kiseta: I believe your trailing coleus is Trailing Queen.I have grown it for years and its a favorite.It really roots well.
I would love to get starts from either one who has them.
Here is one of my favorite planters of coleus this year but I lost the tag and forgot the name -
Kathy
The Orange is called "Rustic Orange".
I knew it looked familier.Really nice.
I have pinched some of the Rustic orange and put it in water, so when it gets some roots, I will Dmail you Kathy, and hope I will get some more kind. Etelka
Etelka,
thank you so much. That is a lovely color!
Kathy