My Coleus 2014

12 years ago

We went to our local greenhouse yesterday, and I found lots and lots of coleus, probably because there were no impatiens. (downy mildew).
I picked up three plants - Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Mint and Kong Salmon Pink. That's a lot of dark colors, but I have a tray of Wizard Mix that should be ready to set out in another 2 weeks or so.
I know there's a huge problem with powdery mildew, and I found an article that explained some things I didn't understand. Coleus have been having trouble with one type of powdery mildew since 2006, but it is a different strain from the powdery mildew that is rampaging in impatiens right now. I decided I would take my chances, and I may be crying in August when my coleus garden melts down.
My picture, in front, Kong Salmon Pink and Mint Chocolate.
In back Sedona, Dark Chocolate, Kingswood Torch and Alligator Tears.

Here is a link that might be useful: Article about Downy and Powdery Mildew

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Comments (2)

auntlavender
12 years ago
Those are lovely and your seedlings look great. I can't
wait to see what you do with them. I'm new to using coleus and have been loving searching the archives for photos.
lme5573
Original Author
12 years ago
I planted Wizard Mix April 6 - never realizing how much time coleus needed to grow. As it turned out, I'm only 2 weeks off because we've had cold nights (below 40F) right up to May 20th.
I wanted to show how much my coleus have grown in just one week. The top picture is May 21, when they were 6 1/2 weeks old. After a week on my back porch, at 7 1/2 weeks old, they are finally showing some of their true colors. I'm so glad I didn't cull the plain green ones, because they're not plain anymore!
I read online coleus takes 9 weeks from seed to plant in the ground. I think that's true, and next year, I'll mark my calendar and really get it done on time.
I found Rainbow Mix seeds and they are taller, and I plan to start those next winter. I like the shapes of Carefree, and am waiting to buy those from Ebay.
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