Billy, there are so many different kinds of coleus. Some can get very large while other are more compact. Regardless, these plants not only CAN be cut back, but they SHOULD be. Keeping the flower buds removed is an important step in maintaining these plants. If they are allowed to flower and go to seed, they'll truly become leggy.

You'll need to provide a bit more of a description of your 'silver' plant. I'm thinking that it might be one of the many Dusty Miller varieties, but there are other possibilities, too.

I'm going to keep the Coleus cut back so that it is only about6-7inches at the very most. I think much more than that would probably make it look pretty shabby.

I did some quick Google research and found that it is one of the Dusty Miller varieties. It didn't really say which one it could be, but I'm pretty sure that's what it is.

Thanks so much for your help.

Some coleus will naturally stay well under a foot tall - others want to get bigger. The shorter varieties may take to frequent pinching better; regardless, you want to start this process when plants are small and continue it at regular intervals (i.e. before plants start appearing leggy).

Dusty miller likes full sun, and not all coleus grow well in the same conditions. If yours are "sun coleus" or one of the many new hybrid varieties, they will likely do well in sun too. Look out for scorching or pale leaves, which are a sign of too much sun.

I've been growing Coleus under lights for a few months now and some are starting to flower. Is it right that I should cut these back so they live longer? My Palisandra are about 1-2 feet tall but have all flowered. How far back can I cut these?

Coleus require regular pinching to keep them in the vegetative stage as opposed to the reproductive stage. Once they begin producing flowers, the stems become elongated (leggy). It's a bit of a challenge to get them back into a shrubby, attractive plant once that happens.