September 2021
I love to garden/landscape. I’ve been called a farmer- that’s really a mentality. I work til’ I drop, and although I may get irritated by bugs, heat, or rock-laden earth, I am truly at my happiest when I am covered in sweat and dirt. I love to make things better, so I move plants a lot, and sometimes it’s a good thing, and sometimes I need to back-off and leave them be.
I’ll share with you what I have gleaned from experience, from you-tube, or from the wisest of friends and family. Enjoy!
More for your money
Coleus is so versatile. It is a plant that keeps on giving, and it comes in so many different varities.
If you treat coleus like an annual, the leaves will eventually give way to a flower. If you let the flower grow, it will signal the plant that it’s life is coming to an end. But, if you cut or pinch the flower off, you will get a fuller plant in total; one that is stronger and less leggy, and more pleasing to look at in my opinion.
This entire washtub to the left is filled with an annual salvia in the middle, and all cuttings from one coleus plant.
Quite a splash of color, and all for free!
Pinching the stems is not rocket science; just pinch the length you want off, just above next set of leaves.
From there you can root as many stems as you want in water. Refill water as needed; they say to change it but I haven’t always done that and it’s been fine.
Be patient until you see roots forming, and once you do, plant away.
The window box to the right contains two different varieties of coleus, again, both taken from cuttings, or more accurately, ‘pinchings’.
They grow fast, fill the space beautifully, and again, are free.
Remember that coleus will get huge, so pinching back often is necessary to keep them strong and great looking. I’ve found some things work better than others when initially putting my planter together; some things get taken over once the coleus matures.
Coleus works well with larger begonias and annual sweet alyssum and/or vinca vine as a trailing plant – of course try any trailing plant you like. Make sure you place your coleus in the right spot according to plant directives; i.e. sun or shade.
I root a lot of cuttings because I hate throwing them away; guilt-factor, but you don’t have to.
Pretty Mama Cares 