Coleus in landscape design: photos of popular varieties and care tips

Home flower Coleus relatively recently "migrated" to flower beds, landscape designers began to use colored "nettles" in landscape compositions. Coleus photo in a flower bed is magnificent as a specimen and group plant.

Coleus amazes with its velvet leaves, which can be of a wide variety of colors.

Coleus - flowers for landscape design

The herbaceous evergreen shrub is prized for its multicolor nature. The attractive plant, better known as "nettle", is home to Africa, although some species have been found in Asian countries.

A flowerbed with coleus of different varieties looks just great

The height of the decorative coleus varies from 15 to 80 cm, the main specific difference is the rectangular translucent juicy stem. The foliage is velvety, with serrated edges. It is she who decorates flower beds. This flower looks very attractive and colorful.

This plant with a stunning appearance will take its rightful place in your garden collection.

The heat-loving perennial crop "coleus" began to be grown in open ground as an annual after the appearance of hybrids resistant to weather conditions in the middle zone. The breeding species are much brighter than their wild relatives. More than 20 species are known with a variegated multi-colored color from lemon-yellow saturated color to dark purple. The flower amazes with the beauty of edging stripes, spots, variety and combination of shades:

• Pink colour;
• red;
• carmine;
• yellow from lemon to dark;
• green;
• brown;
• purple to bluish black.

The color of the leaves of Coleus depends largely on the amount of sunlight.

Coleus often change leaf color depending on the season. For example, this is how the Wisard Velvet red variety looks at the beginning of summer.

And so the same variety looks at the end of the warm season

Breeders managed to get plants with different leaf shapes:

• terry "nettle" with a fringe along the edges of the leaves looks gorgeous;
• cultivate varieties with tuberous leaf plates of a drop-shaped and triangular shape;
• large-leaved coleus is grown;
• the unusual round shape of the leaf expands the possibilities of using Coleus in flower arrangements.

The habit of the bush has changed. Compact dense crowns have acquired a spherical and pyramidal shape. Bred undersized and tall hybrids.

Among the Coleus, there are specimens with very interesting forms of leaf blades (in the photo, the Butterfly variety)

Variety "Russian garden" is distinguished by large leaves with an original color

The amazingly beautiful color has acquired resistance to direct sunlight, does not fade and does not fade. It was possible to achieve a change in the timing of flowering Coleus. Inexpressive spike-shaped "tails" with pale blue-violet buds became smaller. Coleus in landscape design photos have become quite popular not only in the southern regions of the country, but also in the temperate climate zone.

The flowering of Coleus cannot be called a decorative process, so the peduncles are usually removed

In hanging pots, ampelous varieties of Coleus are grown

Popular varieties of garden coleus

Among the varietal variety, it is easy to choose species for any landscape. It is impossible to list all the varieties in a small overview. The most expressive varieties deserve attention.

Wisard Coral Sunrise with orange-brown leaves

Coleus of the Premium Sun Pineaplee Sunrise variety with the original coloring of the leaves

Coleus rehneltianus

The Renelta group combines ampelous types of red-green wheel hybrids used to decorate parks, loggias, terraces, shopping centers and offices, and is used for border planting.

Coleus Renelta has red leaves with a green edging with small teeth along the edges.

The plants are bred on the basis of wild-growing red coleus from Sri Lanka. Carved leaves of a classical form are green at the edges, red in the center. They are available in various shades from reddish pink to brick. The height of the bush is 25–35 cm.

Wizard Pastel

The variety is valued for its rapid growth, variegation of shades. Used to form the lower tier of flower arrangements, well suited for specimen planting. The teeth on the leaves are smoothed, have a semicircular shape, variegated greenery, with a contrasting frame. Bright color spots of pink, brown, cream tones are "painted" with patterns of colored veins. The height of the bush is 30–35 cm, the width is up to 30 cm.

This variety with a universal color is able to harmoniously fit into the design of any flower bed.

Coleus blumei

The group of the tallest varieties was named after the surname of the creator. Strong shoots of plants, taking into account the peduncle, reach a meter height. The leaves are ovoid, the color of the edges is usually yellow-green, the core is crimson, but other colors are also found.

The color of the foliage of this variety is different - it is brown, red-burgundy, dirty orange and even almost black

The bloom hybrid with a white core and violet fringed edges is especially decorative. The color intensity of the leaves depends on temperature and light.

Kong Mix Empire

This hybrid coleus is distinguished by a dense arrangement of leaves on the shoot. The height of a compact bush is up to 80 cm, width is up to 55 cm. The plant grows quickly, blooms late, the flower stalk is short.

Coleus Mix Empire looks great in combination with other ornamental plants

The place of this coleus in the flowerbed is central. Looks great in combination with other ornamental shrubs, conifers. Used to decorate rockeries, parterre lawns.

Electric Lime

From the name it is clear that the color of the plant is bright. Late flowering culture, medium height (up to 50 cm). The leaves are large, oblong, with wavy edges, the serration is smoothed.

Bright leaves feel great in the shade and do not wither in the sun

This stunning Coleus always has a place of honor in landscape design. Bright lemon bushes feel great in the shade and do not wither in the sun. Lime is used to complement flower beds, cut mixborder compositions. Grows well in pots, suitable for hanging baskets and container plantings.

Dragon Black

The variety of American selection was named for the ink color of the leaf plates. The plant forms a sprawling bush up to 40 cm high. The leaves are large, reaching 15 cm, oval in shape with a pointed tip, the denticles are smoothed. There is a pink spot in the center of the leaf plate.

The color of the foliage gives the plant a certain mystery and majesty.

Purple Coleus is mainly used for solitary planting, creating color accents in flower arrangements.

Features of the plant, care for the Coleus in the open field

This thermophilic perennial crop is more often grown from seeds, it also reproduces well:

• cuttings;
• dividing the bush;
• children (increments with an individual growth bud).

Cutting is the easiest way to get new plants of your favorite variety.

The time of planting seedlings is April, the plants are planted in open ground after return frosts, in late May or early June, depending on the weather. For the winter, potted plantings are brought into the winter garden, in the summer they are put out on the street.

In order for the bushes to have a beautiful shape, they are pinched from a very early age.

Basic care recommendations:

1. All types of coleus are demanding on illumination. For plants, choose a place that is sunny or with diffused shade.
2. The soil needs slightly acidic, nutritious, rich in humus. Coleus develop well on light, permeable soils.
3. Plants are hygrophilous, watering is required regular, abundant. It is advisable to water the plants at the root, drip irrigation is recommended. With a lack of moisture, decorativeness decreases.
4. All coleus are fast growing, regular feeding is needed. Mineral mixtures are added at intervals of two weeks. In June, the proportion of nitrogen components increases, from mid-July - of potash and phosphorus. It is better to use balanced mineral complexes for indoor plants.
5. "Haircut" is carried out as needed. With regular pruning, curly shapes are achieved.
6. It is important to regularly remove inflorescences, dried and damaged leaves that violate aesthetics.

Combination rules in flower beds with other flowers

The color palette of Coleus is rich and rich. Coleus in the garden is always beautiful and good, the design of flower beds, rockeries with such an addition is advantageous. With the help of various varieties, it is easy to create a fancy ornament, a flower picture without other garden crops.

Green Coleus with petunias of different colors

Coleus perfectly tolerate shading, so they are great for decorating tree trunk circles

Coleus go well with plants with delicate openwork greenery. Best crops for flower arrangement:

• aruncus kokoryshilistny;
• irises with xiphoid leaves;
• gypsophila;
• ordinary kermek;
• lilies and daylilies;
• roses;
• shorn boxwood;
• Iberis;
• sage;
• gray fescue;
• cineraria.

The list goes on. You can see Coleus in a flowerbed with other flowers, grasses, coniferous and deciduous shrubs.

Persian carpet of coleus around spherical tui

Multi-colored coleus as a border in a flower bed

If you like this flower, find a place for it in your garden.

Plants are planted in small summer cottages and huge open spaces, stepped terraces and alpine slides. Coleus will appear in all its glory, in the photo it is always visible in flowers in a flower bed. Looks great in boles, mixborders, adjacent to other plants.

Video: Beautiful flower beds with coleus at their summer cottage

Photo examples of beautifully decorated flower beds with coleus