Coleus, shade-loving with edged leaf

Add excitement to dim areas of your yard with shade-loving coleus varieties that have a contrasting color on leaf edges. An amazing array of color combinations are available, as well as leaf textures -- choose from plants with scalloped, toothed, or fringed leaf edges. Coleus is exceptionally easy to grow: Plant it in a shaded spot, keep the soil moist, feed it regularly, and be sure it has warm temperatures.

When frost threatens, pot coleus up and enjoy it as houseplants in a sunny window until spring. Then plant outdoors once again!

Light:

Shade

Zones:

2-11

Plant Type:

Annual,Indoor Plant

Plant Height:

1-4 feet tall

Plant Width:

1-3 feet wide

Landscape Uses:

Containers,Beds & Borders

Special Features:

Attractive Foliage,Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

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Apocalypse coleus

(Solenostemon 'Apocalypse') has maroon leaves with a contrasting yellowish green edge. The deeply scalloped leaves grow on upright plants 16-24 inches tall. It grows best in full to medium shade.
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Atlas coleus

(Solenostemon 'Atlas') is a stocky shade-tolerant foliage plant with purplish maroon leaves splashed with a contrasting bright green center. The bright green color is repeated in a narrow band edging each leaf. It grows 2 feet tall.
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Black Dragon coleus

(Solenostemon 'Black Dragon') is a strain of shade-loving coleus with a broad band of purplish black on the leaves around a maroon to dark red center, and sometimes develops patches of green at the tips of scalloped leaf margins. Leaves are highly rippled and puckered, resulting in wonderful texture. It grows 18 inches tall.
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Black Lace coleus

(Solenostemon 'Black Lace') is a duckfoot shade coleus with deeply incised leaves that are deep purple and edged in green. It may also be called 'Duckfoot Midnight'. It grows 12-16 inches tall.
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Black Magic coleus

(Solenostemon 'Black Magic') is a large variety, growing to 3 feet tall. It has velvety purple-black leaves with a deeply scalloped medium green edge. Grow it in a shady spot.
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Brown Sugar Drop coleus

(Solenostemon 'Brown Sugar Drop') has small, rounded maroon leaves edged in green. The plant forms a tidy mound 15 inches tall and wide that performs best in shade.
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Chocolate Mint coleus

(Solenostemon 'Chocolate Mint') develops a tasty combination of brown to purplish maroon foliage with minty green scalloped edges. This coleus forms a compact shade-loving mound to 20 inches tall.
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Collins Gold coleus

(Solenostemon 'Collins Gold') glows in the shade with its frilly yellow-banded leaves. Veins in the central medium green leaf patch may be purple. It grows 30 inches tall, and is somewhat subject to breakage unless pinched to promote branching.
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Elwood Kalin coleus

(Solenostemon 'Elwood Kalin') bears hot pink leaves with rich purple edges. It grows 3 feet tall and wide, and thrives in shade.
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Jupiter coleus

(Solenostemon 'Jupiter') is an out-of-this-world heirloom with rich purple leaves that have orange to magenta veining and a narrow band of olive green around the edge. Best color develops in bright light, but not direct sun. The leaves are highly incised or ?fingered,? providing amazing texture. It grows 20 inches tall.
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Lord Voldemort coleus

(Solenostemon 'Lord Voldemort') has deep purple leaves that blend to chartreuse at leaf edges. The scalloped leaves develop best color in the shade. It grows 18 inches tall.
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Oompah coleus

(Solenostemon 'Oompah') is one of the Stained Glassworks Series coleus. Its narrow, elongated leaves are a blend of purple, maroon, and magenta with a chartreuse edge. It grows 2 feet tall.
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Plum Frost coleus

(Solenostemon 'Plum Frost') is a sport of 'Purple Emperor'. Its leaves emerge with overtones of pinkish purple. As foliage matures, it develops a distinct puckered lime-green leaf with a deep purple ruffled edge. Pinch it regularly to induce branching. It grows 3 feet tall.
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Victorian Ruffles coleus

(Solenostemon 'Victorian Ruffles'), as its name suggests, is highly ruffled, with deep purple leaves that blend to magenta and gold or bright green on the deeply lobed leaf margins. It needs shade, but colors are best in bright light. It grows 20 inches tall.
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Violet Tricolor coleus

(Solenostemon 'Violet Tricolor') has leaves with a broad central stripe of magenta surrounded by a purplish maroon band and an olive green edge. It shows best colors in part shade and grows 2 feet tall.
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Garden Plans

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Design for a Moon Garden
Colorful Foliage Garden Plan
Garden Plan for Partial Shade
Little Fountain Garden Plan
Shade-Loving Container Garden Plan

Propagation

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Seed
Stem Cuttings