I am a huge fan of Rex Begonias, but I can barely winter them over inside. They usually get down to one leaf at a time. But...if the weather is right in the summer they look great.

Persian shield is another favorite of mine. I have successfully wintered them over inside for several years. They also grow easily from cuttings. Last year mine became infested - really infested, with white flies, so I left them out through the first hard frost, hoping to kill the whitefly and that the plants would survive. They havent shown any sign of life yet, so I think they are goners and I will have to buy more this year.

I agree that avoiding monoculture makes sense. I am a roses fan, but with RRD, I'm diversifying.
There are some beautiful begonias that might be a coleus alternative. And while not presenting interesting textures, caladiums are bright and colorful.

Thanks for the replies!

Mandolls, I don't think frost will kill your PS, it may come back from the roots if they weren't frozen, a fine line. The ones in the yard do that. Over-wintered plants usually defoliate as well but the branches do stay alive. When I had these in OH, they did well in quite a bit more sun than here. I take cuttings of these before frost, like Coleus, and they live in jars and bottles of water until it warms back up outside. They're a little slower to get going, but usually overtake the Coleus in size by the end of the year.

This winter was so mild, one plant in a protected corner didn't defoliate, and bloomed! I've never seen this before, except in pics or the occasional single flower on a plant overwintered inside.

Lucille, thanks for mentioning Caladiums. There's a ton of those out in the beds too, how could I forget!? Nothing easier than popping some bulbs into the dirt.

Thanks for the reassurance re: the Persian Shield. Very cool that you got flowers.

My Two large Lantanas are in the same fix. I have been hauling them in and potting them up for about 5 years. But last year the white flies and some sort of fungus hit them, so I left them out to freeze a bit, pulled them out of the soil, washed all of the old soil off, sprayed them with a mild Hydrogen Peroxide solution and repotted them. I have yet to see a sign of green. This time of year Alabama weather sounds pretty attractive. Its snowing again here right now, and a few nights of single digit weather forecasted for this week. Last year it was starting to feel a little springy by mid March.

Caladiums would be a great Coleus substitute for shady areas. I have only grown them once, but they really brightened up my shade garden, not sure why I havent tried them again.

Funny that you mention Lantana. It's so similar to PS although more reliably hardy here. I'm waiting to see if any of the mass of naked stems is going to leaf out. Usually it's all dead above ground, but the mild winter this year has left some surprise survivors out there, I'm anticipating Lantana to be one of them. Might have 12-ft. shrubs this year, they're already 6-ft. but I don't know how far up/down they're still alive, or how tall they can grow when they don't die back. So there's still hope for your Lantana, sending good vibes to that and your PS!

IME living up north in OH, if I didn't buy bagged, dormant Caladiums quite a bit sooner than the annuals showed up at stores, they were usually gone or at least picked over with only the mutants left. That may be why you're missing them. Frustrating though because you still should wait until it's warmer to plant them even if you have to buy early. I would usually put them in pots due to impatience.

The already growing plants are too pricey for me, knowing about the dormant bagged ones, but soooo hard to just walk by! They are worth a look though because many of these potted ones are not available bagged. If you're one of those who needs one of every type, bagged selection will be completely inadequate.

Been doing more memory-jogging, here's some candidates:

Sun:
Pelargoniums with variegated leaves
Amaranthus
Cabbage and Kale
Helichrysum (licorice plant)
dusty miller

Shade:
Purple Oxalis
Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato vine) several colors
New Guinea Impatiens
Pilea
Fuchsia - if it's not too hot where you are

I am really loving Fuchsia 'Firecracker' in shade/part shade.

http://www.gardensandplants.com/uk/plant.aspx?plant_id=1345

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For part sun/sun, variegated money plant, Lunaria alba variegata is easy and very showy. It self sows and comes true also.

http://www.georgiavines.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=597&gclid=CN6Jq-LkhrYCFaiiPAodEBYA9Q

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Very pretty!!

Sun:
variegated Cannas
variegated Salvia
variegated Basil, never seen except in pics
Tradescantia pallida

Shade:
Alocasia 'Hilo'

Either:
Tradescantia zebrina

Are there variegated Nasturtiums?

Hey Ms Purple - you were right - both of my Persian Shield are showing new leaf growth down at soil level. I'm hoping the Lantana will do the same.

I assume that the old wood will just need to be cut away once the new growth is more established?

The past couple of years I have not been buying any new plants - only starting new things from seed,(or trades and cuttings from friends) but I was ready to break my rule for those two. Persian Shield seed doesnt seem to be available, and from what I've read, lantana seed takes months to germinate.

Woohoo! Cool to hear! Yes, whatever branches don't leaf out, just remove them, and any that aren't structurally pleasing. It will be much more able to hold itself upright if those branches are trimmed some, even if they are still alive, same with the Lantana.

Was just out trimming Lantana branches in the yard and they're all green inside, a few tiny leaves starting to show in places. Don't give up or rot it with too much water. I've not tried them from seed.

Yes, there are variegated nasturtiums, and variegated Jewels of Opar (Talinum) too, and you can grow them from seed. I bought Talinum "Limon" a year or two ago as a plant and then saved seed. The second generation is still chartreuse. Has anyone saved seed from the variegated one, or from variegated nasturtiums? I'm wondering if they reseed true to color.

A double-duty plant for full sun is chili peppers with fancy leaves. Some of them are bred for flavor but others are sold purely for ornamental use. I've grown purple-leaved, variegated, and tricolor (green, white and purple) peppers. My favorite is "Fish" which is an old variegated variety bred for cooking. I like the flavor and heat level. This variety has a neat history too.

Variegated basil is fantastic but must be vegetatively propagated. There are beautiful purple basils and those are available as seed.

There's also variegated mint.

Susan, I have "Firecracker" fuchsia, too. Is that your plant in the photo? It looks gorgeous. Mine have never looked that good. I've found it fussier than the other triphyllas I have. Lots of dropping leaves. Any tips on keeping it happy?

Any thoughts on whether plectranthus will be susceptible to the same issues as coleus?

Awesome suggestions, Edie, thanks! I'd forgotten about purple Basil.

Hi Edie,

That's not my plant in the pic, but mine are very happy campers and quite beautiful! I don't do anything special because my gardening situation is perfect for Fuchsias. (Fuchsias are long-lived perennials here.) -I have a very shady garden,, and I live right on the San Francisco Bay, which is pretty much ideal Fuchsia territory. We have quite mild winters, and our summer temps rarely get past the low 70's, plus our foggy weather keeps humidity at about 40 - 50 %.

Edie,Here is my Firecracker Fuchsia.I'm in about your zone.When I first brought it in it dropped leaves but rarely does now.I just treat it like my other plants.Quite a bit of sun in winter & good humidity.Mine is in my greenhouse but no reason it wouldn't do well in sunny window in winter. I have humidifiers for dry eyes & added bonus is that plants love humidity.I have most of the plants in this thread as companions to my coleus.I think of all the plants mentioned F. Firecracker was the hardest to find.
rose

I'm a big Caladium fan! The tubers should be started early, inside, where it's nice and warm.....unless you live in a very warm climate. They can take forEVER to begin to grow! I believe that it is worth it to explore the on-line possibilities for a much better variety AND bigger tubers.

In cooler climates, Caladiums can take more sun, but they do appreciate some protection in hot locations. I think of this plant as a good one to brighten up those areas in light shade. I usually clip out the little flower if I find them developing....they will continue to be more attractive if not sending energy towards making seeds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gorgeous Caladiums

Rose, my Firecracker drops leaves year round. Outdoors too. Since you mentioned humidity I'm wondering if this will just pout anywhere but a moist greenhouse or a cloud forest. Or Susan's San Fran fog. The first summer I had it, it had about three leaves at any given time. Grew new leaves just quickly enough to replace the fallen ones. I think I've had it three summers now. It continues to survive and grow but is never fully clothed. I have several other fuchsias, and none of them fling leaves about like this one pretty problem child. I overwinter the fuchsias in the garage. In theory they should go dormant. In reality they leaf out again almost immediately after I cut them back.

Much less trouble is the variegated abutilon I have. I've got Souvenir de Bonn which has white-edged leaves. I keep it in part shade in the summer. I remember it was about the same price as the Proven Winners coleus at the nursery where I bought it. There's also a type with gold speckles on the leaves, but I haven't grown any of those varieties.

edie,When I first seen Firecracker I got it on sale as a large plant.I planted it in my shade bed & it done well.I saw one for $50 at a store.I don't know why I didn't at least take a cutting in but I didn't. I had a hard time locating another plant some years later.I got it as a small plant last spring & it didn't grow much as it was crowded in a container.I brought it in the greenhouse & it wasn't happy for a long time. I read that it should rest for the winter so I figured it was natural to drop leaves.Then it must have gotten acclimated & started to grow. I'm planning to take a cutting to start.
rose

If you can find a Cissis discolor vine (Rex Begonia vine,) and have something for it to climb, the leaves on these are amazing! I hate common names (unless they're really amusing,) but climbing Coleus would be a good one for this beautiful plant.

What else are folks seeing out there?

Lobelia...?