Coleus
Coleus scutellarioides
Family Lamiaceae
Coleus out-colors most flowers using only leaves — lime, burgundy, velvet-black, and flame patterns that hold from spring to frost with zero deadheading. The old shade-only rule is dead: modern sun coleus takes full light and gets more saturated doing it.
Every plant is a plant factory — cuttings root in a water glass, so one becomes a dozen, and a favorite winters on the windowsill as a houseplant (sited away from nibbling pets). Buy the one leaf pattern you can't stop looking at and multiply it.
Old types shade
Moderate water
Very Fast growth
From the print shop
Growing coleus? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries coleus — Coleus scutellarioides, print Nº 121, “Coleus.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it thrive where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what coleus actually needs.
Life cycleTender perennial, grown as an annualColeus · Common problems
Common coleus problems
Pests
2 problems on file
Diseases
2 problems on file
- Downy Mildew
- Stem Rot
Coleus · Growing & propagation
Growing coleus
- Light
- Old types shade
Modern sun-coleus takes full sun
- Water
- Moderate
Wilts theatrically, recovers fast
Soil- Rich, well-drained · pH 6.0 - 7.0
Fertilizer- Monthly, light
Overfed coleus gets floppy
Pruning- None
Pinch, pinch, pinch: every pinched tip doubles the plant and roots in a water glass in days.
Spacing- 10-14 in
Coleus · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Coleus · Yearly calendar
The coleus year, month by month
No fixed season calendar for coleus — its care follows conditions, not the calendar.
Coleus · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Coleus scutellarioides
Coleus in the garden system
- Moisture
- Facultative / average
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What coleus is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesToxic to dogs/cats (mild)
Use- Shade color
- Use
- Container thrillers
- Use
- Cutting propagation
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Coleus · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a coleus variety
'Kong' (dinner-plate shade leaves); 'Wasabi' (chartreuse sun); 'Redhead'; 'Inferno'
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Coleus
Coleus scutellarioides
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Coleus scutellarioides
- Plant family
- Lamiaceae
- Growth habit
- Annual · Tender Perennial
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- COSC7
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
for Coleus
Research from these sources
Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.
Questions
Coleus questions, answered straight.
Is coleus safe for kids and pets?
With care. Toxic to dogs/cats (mild) Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
Elsewhere
Where coleus sits in the library.
Sunflower
Zinnia
Peony
Daylily