Coleus History

Coleus are members of the Mint family (Lamiaceae), and have the characteristic square stems and opposite leaves of that group of plants. Coleus do not have the galloping growth habit of the herb Mint and are well-behaved in the garden. Our Coleus are cutting grown and are also known as Sun coleus and Perennial Coleus, although they are grown as annuals in most of the Continental United States.  Some coleus grow in an upright form, some grow in a mounding form, and some creep or trail. The leaves can be narrow or wide, round or ovate, and come in a wide range of interesting shapes and fancy leaf edges. The colored foliage for which coleus are so famous can be red, pink, purple, green, yellow, orange, brown, and all shades in between.

Coleus have enjoyed a variety of botanical names, including Coleus blumei, Coleus pumilus, Coleus verschaftelti, Coleus x hybridus, and Coleus rehneltianus. Nearly 20 years ago taxonomists decided to group all coleus, regardless of their individual characteristics, into the genus Solenostemon scutellarioides. While grown as an annual in most of the world, the heat-loving coleus is actually a tender perennial. Perennial coleus can be over-wintered in pots in a warm house or greenhouse. Older plants may be more likely to bloom, so most gardeners buy new plants in the spring or start new plants from cuttings.

Coleus flowers are quite tiny and cover a terminal flower spike. The flowers range in color from shades of purple to true blue to nearly white. While most people prefer that their coleus don’t bloom, some like the flower spikes and several of them cut and bunched together can make a pretty coleus bouquet. Coleus flowers are attractive to hummingbirds and can help draw them into the garden. Trailing varieties are the most likely of all the coleus types to want to bloom, so they need occasional pinching to keep them bushy and bloomless. Coleus that are allowed to bloom unchecked may lose vigor, become weedy-looking, and go into decline.

Coleus are native to tropical areas of Southeast Asia, India, Africa and Australia, with the largest population being in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Coleus found their way into Europe and later, America, by way of traders and botanists. While some accounts place coleus in Europe as early as the 17^th century, Dutch botanist Karl Ludwig Blume is often credited with naming and introducing Coleus to Europe nearly 200 years later as part of an extensive collection of plants he had studied while living on the Indonesian island of Java. Plant aficionados seized upon coleus as the new “it” plant, and a sort of Coleus Fever swept through Victorian gardens, reminiscent of the Tulip Fever of the Netherlands in the 17^th century. Coleus were a perfect choice for a Victorian garden technique called carpet gardening. A carpet garden consisted of flower beds laid out in elaborate patterns that were meant to be seen from a high window or balcony. The effect was that of a living Persian Carpet or tapestry.

As the popularity of coleus grew, a new cultivar of coleus could fetch an astonishingly high price from competitive aristocrats who wanted the most unusual specimens in their own gardens or conservatories. This plant lust ignited what was to be called “The Great Coleus Race” as hybridizers and hobbyists alike hurried to create new varieties to cash in on the craze. As fads always do, the popularity of coleus subsided somewhat and the coleus collecting hobby eventually trickled down to the common citizen, and most of the varieties we have today originate from snippets of coleus that were lovingly over-wintered on the windowsills of generations of gardeners. That is fortunate, because when the commercial value of coleus declined, so did the plant. Most seed houses carried coleus throughout the years, but vegetatively propagated coleus seemed to disappear from commerce. By the middle of the 20^th century coleus seemed relegated to the benches of mass-produced flats in garden centers. They were grown from seed to be sold as bedding plants for shady gardens, and their short stature and propensity for bolting to flower had limited appeal for home gardeners. Many gardeners thought coleus foliage to be gaudy and hard to mix with their flowers. What goes around, comes around, however, and in the 1990’s a few enthusiastic coleus hybridizers began making inroads into the simultaneously expanding markets for both container gardens and bold-colored garden plants. After years of cultivating trendy pastel cottage gardens, people were starting to realize that color was a good thing and was not to be feared! Today coleus are once again a desirable and fashionable garden plant. New, cutting-propagated coleus have been developed that bring this lovely coleus out from the shadows and into the sun! Many of the new cultivars are slow to bloom, freeing up their caretakers from the tedium of pinching blossoms.

Coleus are popular as container plants, and many people use groupings of containers to create container gardens. Container gardening makes it possible for almost anyone to grow coleus, even if all you have is a small balcony or courtyard. For those who have no outside space for growing coleus they can be grown as houseplants. As a houseplant, coleus can survive but they need lots of light and humidity and good air circulation. Special care must be taken to watch for bug infestations when coleus are kept indoors. If the gardener is lucky enough to have a heated greenhouse in which to over-winter their coleus they will find that coleus thrive in the humid, warm, greenhouse. The greenhouse environment  mimics coleus' original home in Southeast Asia. In the summer, coleus fare better outdoors where they can escape the dreadful heat of the greenhouse.

For more information on coleus please visit our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page and our Ordering Information page. For help in choosing which coleus to buy please visit our Selection Guide.