Make sure the coleus you want to grow are available as seeds - many of the named varieties are only propagated vegetatively. Either they don't produce viable seed, or they don't come true from seed.

Ebay has coleus seeds ...many private vendors..Sue

If anyone in the NYC Metro area knows where to get any variety of coleus seeds, please post the location! I'd love to grow some from seed, I have three small plants already. I'm new to coleus (and plants in general) so I'm not sure what varieties they are, but one is a gorgeous scarlet color.

As annebert said, the best, most colorful, and hardiest coleus are grown from cuttings only. Seed-grown varieties are always wanting to go to seed, and once they do, they die You have to pinch them constantly.

I have been growing coleus from seed I have collected in the previous years garden. All of my seeds have done really well. Every time I buy a new different coleus from the ones I already own, I let the plant mature and then collect the seeds from the flowers. My coleus are beautiful. I have a lot of different seed and never bothered to get their proper names. I have seed for exchange if you should want any.

You might not get the best of the best but you can get something special. I enjoyed it a lot and haven't had any problem with collecting seed from the named coleus I purchased.