Monroe County Master Gardener Association

Beyond the Bloom Series:
Introduction
There are so many beautiful plants to enhance your garden with interesting foliage. We all are aware that color is so important in the garden. But so many of us rely on a bloom to give us that color. As important as color is at creating interest in the garden; so is texture. As much attention needs to be given to the foliage as the bloom. Well, to be truthful, probably more than the bloom. I do love the flowers; however, blooms come and go. Some annuals need deadheading to keep the blooms coming. That is more maintenance. Perennials typically bloom in one short period of time. Then what is left? The foliage is, of course. So why not make it a key factor in the garden. I want to share some of my favorites with you. Use these in the ground, or in containers. I typically jamb pack them in and use a bloom for accent. I realize you think it’s reversed; but I hope to change your mind. So I plan to introduce these wonderful foliage plants to you in a series of articles on our MCMGA Blog. Along the way I will interject some important design elements and reasons for why I think they work. I hope you enjoy it. The series begins with Coleus Let’s start!

Beyond the Bloom Series:
Coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides)

What is the hardest worker in my garden? That would be a coleus. It offers an amazing variety of color, texture and interest. Treat it like an annual, planting after frost has passed. An easy one to propagate; Just snap off a small piece, place it in a container of water, and watch it root. I generally just snape it off and stick it into some moist soil and it takes off. Should you decide, you may overwinter. You can dig it up, and take it indoors into a new pot; or take a cutting and put it into some water. Remember to give it a good once over to make sure no unwanted guests are included. Coleus are easy to grow and not extremely expensive. You will find them in your favorite nursery by the flat, or in a larger pot. The colors available today will delight you. Then as a bonus, you will see a great variety of texture as well.

I am never pleased with its bloom, so typically, I remove it. If you hate to discard it, then use it as a cut flower. Picking it off will redirect the energy back into the plant itself. As you can see in this photo, the bloom is not eye catching or extremely colorful. The foliage is the show stopper:

Here are some of my favorites and how they are used in my garden:

In the above photo you see a bright red called Valentine: The yellow/green with a deep maroon center and edging is called Honeybear. Paired alongside a hosta and Japanese maple you can see no blooms in site here. These offer contrast in color and texture when planted together.

I love pairing this canna (Tropicana) with Keystone Kopper coleus. One thing to note is that colors will vary some depending on the type of light it receives. I’ve used this one in an area of sun with dappled shade and it takes on a lighter color. The same plant may be darker if placed in total shade; often more red orange. This give even more interest since the same plant takes on a variety of tones. The yellow green with deep maroon center is called Henna Sun.

This coleus Flying Carpet is paired with another canna…But cannas are a whole other series on their own. Love the coordination of colors with the contrast of the foliage size, and the smooth verses ruffled edges of these two together.

There are several ruffled leaf coleus like this one called Sea Monkey Purple. It makes an impact with both texture and color along with the African daisy and sweet potato vine, which both carry the same colors in them. Here’s a closer look for colors:


The green and white is Wizard Jade, but the red center with line green is again Flying Carpet. And below, you find them yet again, because it’s important to create repetition in a garden.

As you can see I use a lot of coleus. It is my workhorse. Coleus gives me so much of what I want in the garden. I can’t begin to touch the surface of how many varities are out there. Just Google coleus and look at the numerous images you will find. Colors….textures…and a very interesting species.