I first became acquainted with Iresine as a houseplant. It's not an annual at all, but a tender perennial. When grown indoors, it can live for several years, quite happily.

Be sure to find a very bright location in the home.

I have five year old plant I keep for cuttings. Very easy to root and overwinter inside.

tj

i picked this up sold as a bedder plant at ace hardware -- my first thought was "this is an underpriced houseplant!" :) excited to see the cultivation is similar to coleus, whom I have loved in the past. we have tons of sun in oklahoma city, though, with few trees for shade, so i am hoping it will be more sun tolerant than coleus.