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eahamel

Coleus are Addictive!

14 years ago

There needs to be a 12 Step program for coleus addicts. Really. I wandered into a local garden shop and they have some new coleus. I left with 3 Big Red Judy plants. They had another one that I don't know how I resisted - I'll go back for some of those tomorrow, and will put both into a large pot. Those hybridizers have been really busy the last few years, and I've got a bunch of them in my beds and pots.

They're really a darker, richer maroon than this pic. The seed planter next to it has salad greens in the back, and brugmansia seedlings in the front, they have just started coming up. I'm excited! Got those on Ebay from Sommergardens, they're mixed hybrids, so I have no idea what they will be.

Comments (8)

  • 14 years ago

    I couldn't agree more!

    I'm sorry your pic didn't make it. Hope you'll try again. I bet you browsed your pic, then hit preview, then edited your comments again. Don't know why they have it like this, but every time you hit preview, you need to brow your pic again if you edit the comments. You can also just click back but I don't fully trust that and try to copy what I've written before I click. HTH!

    Next time you're torn between two lovers two Coleus plants, I'd recommend getting both instead of more than one of something. They grow fast and are easy to multiply via cuttings.

    This metal thing was here when I moved in years ago and already fused into the base of the tree then, so I may not be able to get rid of this thing, but I stuff it full of Coleus and other shade loving foliage plants every year.

  • 14 years ago

    Yes, I am feeling it come over me, too. I'm going to grow some from seed this early spring....don't know which ones yet. Ahhhh, the anticipation!

  • 14 years ago

    Purple, that pot is fantastic! I got the other two coleus that the nursery had, and am going to put them all in a planter, and will post a pic when I do that.

    Rhizo, have you seen the link to the nursery that sells lots of great coleus seed? (Were you the one who posted it?)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Lots of Coleus Seed!

  • 14 years ago

    Yep, I posted the link to that seed company a while back. I want to see a picture of those coleus that made you go all the way back to the nursery in order to bring them home. :-)

  • 14 years ago

    Talked me into it! The nursery, btw, is about 1/2 mile from home, and I drive past it all the time, so stopping in was not a big deal. They are, left to right - Big Red Judy, Red Red Wine, and I don't know what the one on the right is. The label says Red Coat, but that one is all maroon with a small yellow border, not at all like this one. I've seen these used as landscaping plants, and had been looking for Big Red Judy. The colors are a bit washed out - it's overcast.

    I'm really glad I went out to take the picture. One of my dogs was chewing on something, and it turned out to be a piece of twine. She had swallowed about half of it before I saw her and pulled it out of her mouth. Thanks for prodding me, rhizo!!!

  • 14 years ago

    Thanks, eahamel. I especially love that one in the middle (in your pic from your shopping trip!)

    Coleus can be quite schizo depending on sun exposure, the colors can be quite variable. I usually only buy one of each and end up putting cuttings in different places and there are always some interesting variations from this.

    How often do you get frost where you are?

    Stormy weather (yes, we are watching Isaac!:)

  • 14 years ago

    Purple, I like the one in the middle, too, better than the one on the right. Our winters come and go. We'll have cold for a few days, then it warms up. Too cold for coleus to survive. For fruit trees to produce, they need around 200-300 chill hours and they always get that.

  • 14 years ago

    You bet coleus can be addictive!2 years ago I ordered 12 from Rosy Dawn.Next year I ordered 6.I didn't take in all of the first dozen.Some didn't look as pretty as the picture(probably from where they were planted).I didn't order any this spring but found a couple local.I get a kick out of the names such as:Swinging Linda,Religious Radish & Pistachio Nightmare.Luckily I have a greenhouse I can overwinter in.But I've found some varieties don't keep well in my greenhouse because it is not as warm as they prefer.I give a coleus variety extra points if they look reasonably good in winter.
    Rose