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Brighten Up Your Space With This Beginner-Friendly Annual Plant
By JOANNA MARIE
There is an annual plant that can add beautiful heights, patterns, colors, and shapes to your garden. Coleus adapts to various environments and thrives in pots and garden beds.
With so many varieties, gardeners need to know the plant's growth habits and requirements. The sturdy Main Street series has deep red and purple leaves and grows up to 36 inches.
The FlameThrower® has leaves with a unique pattern in fiery orange, red, and yellow shades. It's perfect as a container plant, growing only to a maximum height of 18 inches.
The Kong® variety can also grow to 18 inches and is notable for its large, imposing leaves featuring a mix of pink and brown colors with contrasting green veins and edges.
These plants typically do well in both full sun and shade. However, more sunlight intensifies their leaf hues, while shade can make their colors more subdued.
Coleus isn't picky about soil pH, but water container plants daily and ensure proper drainage. In garden beds, water only when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil feel dry.
Fertilization plays a significant role for Coleus. When planting, add a granular fertilizer with a balanced mix of nutrients to the soil, then fertilize monthly.