Self Sowing Coleus in the Garden

I love surprises in the garden.  Plants that pop up where you least expect them - unfortunately those are usually called "WEEDS."  Sometimes though we find plants of value that pop up.  Here are a few pictures of some self-sown coleus plants that came up in my front garden this year.  I grow coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) every year but have started growing it from seed myself rather than buying it at a nursery.  I save the seed each fall and sow the coleus from what I have collected.  I only collect from the coleus that impresses me in some way.  I collect seeds from plants that either have a unique shape, color, or large leaf size.

The leaves on this coleus are very large.  Possible 6 inches wide on the largest leaves and about 8 inches long.  The coloration is good too.  Just a little lime green on the leaf edges but mostly the red-orange tint throughout the leaf.  The veining is a darker shade of red.

This one is mostly green with some interesting variegation in the center of the leaves.  You can see a slight pink central vein down the middle.

Growing Coleus

Coleus needs very little care once established.  It need regular watering in the dry months but bounces back quickly if it gets too dry.  Pinch back the leaves to make bushier plants.  Quite pinching later in the season to allow it to set seed for collecting or sowing.  Most coleus likes shade but newer hybrids are developing a tolerance to increased sunlight.  Coleus is a perennial in tropical locations but in most places must be grown as an annual, houseplant, or as a movable potted perennial you can bring indoors when cold weather comes.

Please excuse the weeds for now.  With the daily doses of August rain we have weeds everywhere!

Growing Coleus in the Garden

Coleus is one of my favorite ornamental plants (Solenostemon scutellarioides).  It functions as an annual in our zone 6b-7 but is a tropical perennial that can come back each year in the right climate.  Tennessee is definitely not the right climate!  I enjoy planting coleus because of the many varied colors it can bring to the garden.  I like the red colors but the foliage can range from yellow to purple to green with all kinds of combinations in between.  Generally speaking coleus likes the shade but plant breeders have made some remarkable advances with more sun tolerant coleus plants.

You don't necessarily have to buy new coleus plants each year.  I tend to buy a couple six packs but also supplement our coleus plants in other ways.  Coleus is a very easy plant to propagate so I take cuttings before the frosts come in the fall to root and bring indoors.  It grows very nicely as a houseplant! In the spring I take cuttings from the plants I have indoors and plant the potted ones outdoors to grow outside.




I also allow my coleus plants to flower and eventually produce seed.  Most gardeners try to avoid the flowers for a while by pinching back the stem tips to make bushy plants.  I'll pinch them back for a while but once they start to flower I let them go so that the coleus produces seed.  Then I collect the seed and sow it in the spring.  Planting from seed is a very cost effective way to grow your garden - especially when you grow your own seed!

 Sometimes they even sow themselves in your garden!

Do you grow coleus in your garden?

Still Planting Despite the Heat

As crazy as it sounds I'm still putting plants in the ground with temperatures up around 100!  The weather may be hot but sometimes you just have to deal with it and move on with your garden plans.  Usually a plant will perform much better with less water requirements if it has been planted in the ground rather than left in the pot - at least that is my observation.  My plan was to plant more plants in the front garden area where I built the garden sitting wall.  It rests underneath the shade of a Bradford pear tree (which admittedly I'm taking a risk planting anything underneath since the Bradford pear could come down at any time).  What plants did I pick out to plant in this area?  Since it gets mostly afternoon shade I planted a combination of coleus and hydrangeas to go with a few hostas I had previously planted.

Before I could plant anything I had to raise the soil level so that the garden would function as a raised bed.  First I went through and reset the wall so that it was level.  (Previously the blocks were just set on top of the soil, which looked fine but I think it looks even better now!)  Resetting the wall required that I dig into the existing grade of the soil - which is no easy task when it the soil has turned into sun baked brick! I tossed the leftover soil from the excavation into the garden area then I went back to the compost bin and emptied it out into the wheel barrow.  I laid down newspaper over the excavated soil then filled up the area with compost.  The compost didn't fill the area up completely which is fine since I wanted to put a decent layer of mulch on top.

'Zebra' hydrangea

'Mariesii Variegata' hydrangea

Then I planted 4 different types of hydrangeas: 'Nikko Blue', 'Glowing Embers', 'Zebra', and 'Mariesii Variegata'.  I've been wanted to add more hydrangeas to our landscape for a while and these four now join a small collection of other hydrangeas like oak leaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia), 'Grayswood' (Hydrangea serrata),  'Annabelle' (Hydrangea arborescens), Lady in Red (Hydrangea macrophylla), and one or two other hydrangeas I don't know the name of!

'Glowing Embers' hydrangea

'Nikko Blue' hydrangea

 

'Pineapple' Coleus

'Wasabi' coleus

Also in this bed are several different coleus plants.  Coleus has come a long way over the years and has been cultivated for increased tolerance to sun but it is still mostly a shade loving plant. 

One unnamed variety is in this garden along with 'Wasabi' (A lime colored green color), 'Alabama' (light red-orange tones with yellow highlights), and 'Pineapple' (yellow and red colors). I have a few coleus plants that have grown from seed that I still need to plant out in the garden.  I hope to collect seed and even try a little hybridizing with these plants once they flower.

'Alabama' coleus

Once I've collected more seed from my heucheras I'll divide and transplant some into this garden.

What are the best performing hydrangeas in your garden? Have you tried any new coleus varieties this year?

Raised Beds Aren't Just for Vegetables

I mostly use raised beds for my vegetables but the truth is almost any plant can do great in a raised bed. Herbs, flowers, and ornamentals can all thrive in raised beds.  What makes a raised bed an awesome growing method is the soil that it uses.  You can mix the perfect soil mixture for any plant you want to grow whether it be ornamental or edible!

Rosemary

Herbs in a raised bed will want a well drained soil that isn't too rich.  Often herbs do much better when planted in a nutrient deficient soil so you don't have to build a rich compost-like soil for them.  For herbs a well drained mix is very important.  Soggy soil can lead to rotting and the eventual demise for some herbs.  They can handle conditions that are drier. In fact the flavor that herbs produce can be enhanced in dry conditions. When you fill a raised bed specifically for herbs consider adding sand into the mix to encourage good drainage - unless you have heavy clay  (Clay and sand mix great together - if you want to make a brick!) For heavy clay soils add organic matter like it's going out of style.  If I were starting with a soil mix for herbs I would go about 2-3 parts of compost or soil to 1 part sand or vermiculite.  Herbs are flexible and can handle variations in the soil mix.  My herbs tend to get the leftover soil from other potted plants.  They seem to enjoy the leftovers just fine.

Ornamentals are awesome in raised beds.  I built a quasi-raised bed last year from retaining wall block and planted hostas and coleus inside. Perhaps quasi isn't the right descriptor to add to the raised bed.

One side of the planting bed rests below the grade of the opposite side of the bed which allows the retaining wall blocks to hold the soil back, which of course does indeed make a raised bed.  Indeed.   I dumped a big load of homemade compost into the area and made some of the richest soil of any of my gardens.  The coleus leaves became gigantic!  I think they liked the compost, but who wouldn't? ...oh that's right the herbs...

Raised beds let you control the soil characteristics.  It's not a bad idea to test the soil on occasional using your local extension service.  They can do a complete soil analysis and advise you on on what to add to grow various plantings.  Soil tests mostly analyze for edibles but many edibles need the same or similar soil conditions as the ornamentals.