Coleus is an annual here in Zones 5 and 6. There are many new cultivars of Coleus that have come on the market lately, many do very well in part to full sun. The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens has a wonderful display of Annuals, including Coleus in sun and shade which is quite stunning.

On the planting from seed... I'm not all that sure how well they do, but I too would like to grow them from seed versus transplants, which I've found is very costly. As an annual it's just not in my budget if it's not from seed.

Shannon

Thanks for your reply Sharon. I absolutely agree with your budget concerns. What have you started from seed that's worked well? This year I grew zinnias from seed and they worked out. Now I'm thinking of doing impatience and begonias. Are they tough to start from seed?

Esther

My experience with coleus from seed is that they are very easy. I started bunches of them from a single package of seeds this year under very trying conditions (mainly my neglect as we were in the middle of a move).
Sorry I dont know penny coleus.

Penny (sometimes spelled Penney) is cutting-type coleus. It will not come true from seed. Most coleus will grow just fine in full sun as well as shade. It is actually a tropical perennial that won't take freezing temperatures. The closest coleus in a seed variety would probably be Wizard Golden, although it's more yellow than Penny.

There are hundreds of cutting-type coleus in more shades, patterns and leaf shapes than you can imagine. Cuttings root readily in soil or water and are easily shared with other gardeners, so you needn't be limited to just the seed types.

Go to www.coleusfinder.org to view the many different types.

Hope this helped.

Chris

Start with a good-sized coleus plant indoors over the winter, and you can make enough new plants through cuttings by the time warm weather arrives to have a great show, as cheaply (or even more so) than you'd be able to do with seed. Not to mention that the vast majority of great varieties are unobtainable through seed.