Coleus

Growing up in south Florida, I liked coleus plants. Having coleus there is easy - just root the plants you like in water when you want more. But in West Virginia, having coleus plants was a bit more of a problem. Even though they were inexpensive to buy, choices were limited to local sources, and keeping them over a long winter was a bit of a challenge for me as a new gardener.

When I read about buying coleus cuttings from mail-order sources in The 20-Minute Gardener,
I was intrigued and I kept the idea at the back of my mind to do later. I wondered whether I could grow coleus from seed but thought it would be difficult since I had tried once without success. That time, I probably waited too long before I tried planting my seeds.

This year, I bought 'Wizard Mix' coleus seed from Burpee and did not wait to get them started. As soon as the seeds arrived, I planted them in a 6" self-watering pot. That was on January 7. By January 11, tiny dots of green started to appear on the surface of the soil and by January 13, little leaves had started to form.

They are so cute! Now, I'm inspired to do more with coleus. Here's what I turned up from a search for mail-order coleus suppliers.

Seeds:

• Burpee Seeds and Plants (has 9 varieties of coleus seed)
• Swallowtail Garden Seeds (has 43 varieties of coleus seed)

Cuttings:

• Glasshouse Works (has 126 varieties of coleus cuttings)
• Rosy Dawn Gardens (specializes in coleus - offers many varieties organized by types and colors)