Tropicals & Tender Perennials: 'Phoenix' bird or paradise, 1 by dyzzypyxxy

dyzzypyxxy wrote:
Oh, coleus is a great plant. So much fun and easy to grow and such a range of interesting colors. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell how big it will get, as the different varieties grow to different sizes. BUT the good news is you can just pinch it back and keep it where you want it.

I'll entertain you with my latest coleus story here. I ordered a fancy colored hybrid last spring called 'Florida Sun Rose'. Got a little plant in a 3in. pot and put it in a big pot with a couple of other plants. Well! It sprang up and overflowed that pot, completely swamping the other two plants. So I pinched it back. In my misplaced Scottish frugality, I stuck all the cuttings in a jar of water. A week later I had a dozen rooted cuttings ready to plant. Long story short, by the end of last summer that one little coleus plant was everywhere around the yard, at least wherever there was a bit of shade in the middle of the day. No, they don't seed themselves (at least not much) but they sprawl when they get big, and wherever the stems touch the ground they will root. So they "walk" all over.

Fun thing was, it changes color according to how much sun it got, and how warm or cold it is. Oh, yeah, it survived the winter and is taking off again in a few clumps now.

All the pics below are the same variety, as it changed color through the summer. Now it is back to calico green/purple/pink/yellow. What next? Have fun with that one. Try some cuttings in a glass of water when the plants get big!

Cheers Elaine

ps. the orchids are growing in all the shady spots around the yard, too. Well, a few are still in the pool cage . . . but I'm purposely buying types that will potentially naturalize.



This message was edited Apr 20, 2012 11:48 PM