A Cool Cache of Coleus

The blog today is strictly about offering some color to get us through the winter doldrums!  All of my photos were taken last July at the Customer Day at The Gardens at Ball (West Chicago, IL) which has a fabulous amount of well grown plants on display.  I make an annual visit to this garden to see what’s up and coming in terms of annuals, perennials and woody plants.  The focus today is of course coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) which are one of my favorite foliage annuals for impact and appeal.  While not all of these are NEW, they are all robust and colorful specimens that are appealing to the eye!  Directly above is the variety ‘French Quarter’.  Keep in mind that while many coleus will tolerate full sun and have vivid coloration, moisture and decent soils are necessary for the best vigor.  Coleus in containers is also a slam dunk although keeping them happy is important as is removing any blossoms (deadheading) that appear throughout the summer.  Supplemental fertilizer is recommended as well.  We fertilize ours at least five times during the growing season (every three weeks) and all of our coleus in containers also enjoy a slow-release fertilizer.  Know the ultimate height of your selections as many will get quite large and there is significant breeding in very diminutive varieties.  We never use coleus in deep shade but they are “ingredients” in many of our full sun and part sun borders, beds and container arrangements.  The fine details of leaf color, shape, edges, etc. is also something to consider beyond the initial impact of color or form.  Enjoy!

‘Trusty Rusty’ (full sun above and part shade below)

Redhead (‘UF0646’) in foreground (above)

FlameThrower™ Salsa Roja (‘UF15-97-9’) – above and two below

FlameThrower™ Serrano (‘UF15-6-28’) – above and below

FlameThrower™ Habanero (‘UF09-8-37’) – above

FlameThrower™ Chili Pepper (‘UF08-19-10’) – above

FlameThrower™ Spiced Curry (‘UF12-73-5’) – above

‘Inferno’ (above)

Electric Lime® (‘UF04335’) – above and below

‘Indian Summer’ (above)

‘Special Effects’ (above and below)

‘Coleosaurus’ (above)

nice specimens above at The Gardens at Ball (West Chicago, IL)

ColorBlaze® Strawberry Drop (‘Kakegawa CE5’) – above

ColorBlaze® Sedona Sunset™ (above)

ColorBlaze® Golden Dreams™ (above)

nice assortment above at The Gardens at Ball (West Chicago, IL)

Main Street Ocean Drive (above)

Kong® Salmon Pink (‘SAKCOL017’) – above

beautiful specimens above at The Gardens at Ball (West Chicago, IL)

Main Street River Walk (above)

Kong Jr.™ Green Halo (‘PAS904508’) – above and below

Great Falls™ Angel (above)

Great Falls™ Iguazu (above)

‘Chocolate Covered Cherry’ (above)

‘Florida Sun Rose’ (above and below)

‘Dark Chocolate’ (above)

nice coleus assortments above and below at The Gardens at Ball (West Chicago, IL)

Kong Jr.™ Scarlet (‘PAS904512’) – above

MixMasters™ Vindaloo Vision Mix (FlameThrower™ Chipotle, Salsa Verde and Spiced Curry) – above

MixMasters™ The Whole Enchilada Mix (FlameThrower™ Habanero and Salsa Verde) with Bounce™ Bright Coral New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri ‘Balbocour’) – above

Kong® Red (‘Kakegawa CE12’) – above

MixMasters™ 5 Alarm Chili Mix (FlameThrower™ Chili Pepper, Habanero and Spiced Curry) -above

Kong® Lime Sprite (‘PAS904340’) – above

‘Pinkplosion’ (above)

‘Campfire’ (above and below)

ColorBlaze® Torchlight™ (above and below)

nice mix at The Gardens at Ball (West Chicago, IL)

Main Street Ruby Road (above)

Main Street Chartres Street (above)

‘Inferno’, ‘Indian Summer’ and FlameThrower™ Chipotle (‘UF12-82-3’) in mix above