Coleus
Coleus: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
Coleus scutellarioides is a tropical foliage plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. Its native range extends through parts of Asia and the Pacific to northern Australia. You may also find it labelled Plectranthus scutellarioides or Solenostemon scutellarioides, names used for the same species. It is perennial where conditions allow, but in gardens with frost it is commonly enjoyed as a summer bedding plant or kept as a houseplant.Its leaves provide the main display. They grow in opposite pairs on angular, often square stems, and vary greatly between cultivars. Some are broad and oval, others narrower, deeply toothed or curled at the edges. Their patterns can combine green, yellow, cream, pink, red, copper and dark purple. A contrasting margin, coloured veins or a bright central patch may make one leaf look almost painted. Not every variety carries all these colours.The plant’s outline also varies. Compact forms make low, dense mounds, while…
