Coleus

Last week I stopped to admire someone's garden, and the owner kindly gave me some cuttings from his coleus plants. I have potted these up and they seem to be rooting up nicely. Can you please let me know if this plant is suitable for balcony planter pots? I have read that they have a shallow root system. Would they be ok to withstand a substantial amount of rain though? I pamper my plants a lot and I'm always checking the weather forecast and moving them for shelter under the balcony when it's going to be very windy and/or raining! It may sound crazy, but I have lots of succulent plants and I know that they don't like to get very wet!

What a lovely gift, I love Coleus too! Coleus are the opposite of succulents, thirsty plants that will wilt if they get too dry. Are your balcony pots an unusual shape or size? Do they have a hole to let excess water escape when it rains? Most Coleus need mostly shade but there are some that like full sun. What was the exposure of the mature plant from which the cuttings were taken? Finding the exposure I liked best for it's effect on the leaf colors would be my priority. Not all of the over 2,000 named cultivars are as schizophrenic as others, but under different exposures, a same Coleus plant can look wildly different, completely different colors.

If your succulents are super happy on the balcony, your coleus might not be, especially if it is a sunny balcony.

It is hard to keep things - be it people or plants - hydrated here in south Texas summers. The coleus really suffer. A hot, sunny balcony can be just as brutal. During the summer, our coleus mostly sit in the deepest shade available near the water faucet. Large pots (easier to keep watered than small pots) are set in saucers of water and usually filled twice a day. Wouldn't go to the trouble if they weren't so beautiful.

All of that said, they are fairly tough plants. They will wilt down into what appears to be a mournful death slump -- and stand right back up a few hours after watering. I don't think I have ever had one die from just 1 day of wilting, ... but on the other hand, none have ever come back from a week of wilt.

Sometimes they will drop all there leaves after a severe wilt and will look ugly for several weeks. In most cases, they come back strong and look even better after a few weeks of pampering.

They freeze, so bring them in for cold nights.

Most will root readily in anything - including water. Try adding them to bouquets for a nice color & texture boost. If you are like me, close your eyes when you throw out the bouquet. There is a good chance little roots are starting to form. Soon you will have coleus everywhere if you keep your eyes open.

My grandmother told me that you had to pinch the flowers off or they would die when they finished blooming. Don't know if it is actually true, but I pinch them all off. They are not very pretty and in many cases detract from the foliage.

Yes, some Coleus need shade, some are bred for use in full sun. That's why I asked about the exposure of the mama plant from which MonkeyFlower obtained the cutting.

Coleus are not true annuals, therefore do not complete their life cycle after producing seeds. They are woody, tropical shrubs.

Deadheading can't prevent any true annual from dying, but could extend its' life to some extent as it continues to attempt to make seeds. Deadheading can encourage some perennial plants to make more flowers. Coleus will attempt to make blooms whenever a plant is placed in the proper conditions for blooming (day length.)

If Coleus plants are outside, the flowers are very much appreciated by butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Inside, the flowers can be a novelty, though soon fall on the floor in little brown bits, messy. A compromise might be to enjoy indoor blooms for a day two, then snip/pinch them off before they drop.

Hi, thanks for your replies! To answer all your questions:

My pots (which I haven’t yet bought) would be the standard rectangular ones that hang over the railings. I can have good drainage because the yard below belongs to me, so I can make as much of a mess as I want!

The mother plant was in the guy’s driveway, so there was absolutely no shade. My balcony faces SE, I have full sun from about 9am to 2pm. I’m trying to device some sort of shade for the hot summer months. I live in a Mediterrean country, so it gets very hot. Since I managed to root up about 7 cuttings, maybe it would be best to put them all in different positions regarding sun/shade, and see which fare better.

I’ve also read that they like to be well fertilized. So I was going to give them Miracle Gro (diluted by half) about every 3 weeks.

That sounds like a great plan! I hope you have a schizophrenic kind that rewards your efforts with 7 different shades of colors.

I have the same difficulty with potted plants in the heat here though we got lucky and didn't break 100 degrees much at all this past summer. Whenever possible, I try to put the pot in some shade, even if the foliage is baking in the sun. White (or other very light color) pots help also, they don't get nearly as hot.

Not sure if your main focus is to have something to plant in the rail boxes, or if that seems to be an optimal way to display your new Coleus plants in particular?

I wasn't really planning on buying Coleus, but since I was given the cuttings, I thought they might be good for the railings. If you can suggest any other plants that would do well on the railings, I would appreciate the help. Ideally, it wouldn't be a very delicate plant though as I work full time and do not have as much time I would like to dedicate to plant care.