Coleus

The Coleus, also known as colios or Solenostemon, are attractive for their exotic variegated foliage, variously variegated or coloured, with great ornamental value. Cultivated as annuals outdoors, these tender perennials native to the tropical forests of Africa, America, and Asia, are also beautiful veranda plants, easy to grow in semi-shade or even full shade.

These plants from the Lamiaceae (or Labiate) family come in a wide variety of sizes, in an infinitely varied colour palette: from yellow, green, pale pink to dark red, violet, solid or bicolour, even tricolour. The large ovate and dentate leaves of Solenostemon are their main attraction, much more than their small clusters of insignificant blue flowers that can be removed without regret to promote foliage production.

Coleus are naturally well suited for growing in pots and containers: for example, combine them with begonias that appreciate the same slightly shaded environments. You can also plant them in the ground during the summer to create mosaics of colours in borders and flowerbeds, always in cool soil and sheltered from the blazing sun.