Beginner Gardening: Could you help me identify this plant ?, 1 by shebs45

shebs45 wrote:
Coleus are quite commonly grown as outside annuals here in Chicago. They can become quite lush and prefer a shady location when outside. However, they do tend to get leggy when brought inside; and as Gilley stated need to be pinched or cut back. You can easily grow more by sticking cuttings in water. They root very easily.

When summer comes you can bring them outside and put in a shady location. You can leave them in pots, or plant directly in the ground. They won't survive the winter, but you can keep them going with new cuttings you bring inside.

Also, especially when they are outside, they will grow little purple flowers. Cut off the flowers to keep the foliage growing. If you leave the flowers on, too much energy is diverted away from the leaves, and the leaves are much prettier than the flowers.

Here is a photo of one of two containers of coleus I had on my front porch this past summer. There are many different varieties of coleus; the ones that I had happened to have a fringed or cut leaf. If you look closely, you can see the little purple flowers I hadn't yet pinched off.