Finding the Right Coleus for Your Garden

Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) have always been a great plant for adding long lasting color to the shade border. Although extremely popular in Victorian times, coleus pretty much fell out of favor when they began to be thought of as old-fashioned, fussy, grandmother plants. That all changed in the 1990s when breeders developed sun loving coleus of brilliant colors and seemingly endless patterns.

As more plants with interesting, colorful foliage are introduced, it becomes easier to design a garden with season-long appeal. Coleus are right at the top of the list for adding color to a border. But with so many hybrids being introduced, how do you tell them apart so that you can order the unlabeled plant you bought at the garden center last year and grew to love?

Finding the Perfect Coleus

Coleusfinder.org answers that question. This fascinating little web site has the ability to search for 961 named varieties of coleus. You can search by name for who sells it, or by characteristics to find out what your coleus is called. This useful tool is the work of Wouter Addink, who welcomes suggestions for additions.

So if you've become a coleus admirer along with the rest of the gardening community, have some fun tracking down beloved coleus plants on Coleusfinder.org as you plan ways to keep your garden in the pink or red or green or yellow or burgundy, all season long.