Best Coleus Varieties and Cultivars to Plant

Sometimes it is hard for gardeners to find just the right colors for their garden landscapes. The sheer numbers of coleus hybrids available today are amazing – so here are some of the best, most colorful and most popular coleus plants. There are highly textured coleus plants with highly cut foliage. Others have brightly colored variegation, while some plants have more muted tones. Thankfully, coleus is easy to grow so gardeners can try several varieties without fear.

Textured Foliage Coleus Plants or with Fine Cut Leaves

• Kiwi Fern Coleus – The long leaves are dark maroon in color with chartruese edges. Highly textured leaves make both the color and shape of these leaves a unique accent in the garden.
• Black Dragon Coleus – Dark burgundy leaves have slightly paler centers, but the attractive feature of the coleus plant has tight, wavy edges that are ornamental.
• Kong Series; Kong Rose – A tri-colored coleus plant with huge leaves that have wide, lime green edges, reddish centers and brighter pink veining in the center.

Coleus Plants With Variegated, Lance-Shaped Leaves

• Defiance Coleus – This coleus has more classic shaped leaves. The leaves are red with wide, yellow-green edges that serve to contrast beautifully while still serving as a good backdrop for other flowers.
• Dipt in Wine Coleus – The foliage of this coleus is wine red in color with bright green centers and the leaves tend to be slightly more rounded in shape than a traditional coleus plant. This is an award-winning cultivar.
• Freckles Coleus – Bright yellow leaves have maroon splotches and freckles on them that sometimes appear lighter, almost orange in tone. A great cultivar to add bright highlights to a shade garden spot.

Coleus Plants With Muted or Multi-Colored Foliage

• Texas Parking Lot or Alabama Sunset Coleus – Bright green leaves slowly deepen into a muted maroon color as they age creating a unique contrast of color between the green and red colored leaves. Seedlings do not grow true so gardeners will need to take cuttings.
• Tilt-a-Whirl Coleus – The color of this coleus is highly unusual with nearly orange colored leaves that add a touch of fall like color to the spring and summer garden. Bright green or yellow centers to the leaves add a strong accent color to the plant making it a great choice for containers.

Since coleus plants can hybridize and sport easily, there are many named (and unnamed) cultivars available for gardeners to use. Combine coleus with other coleus plants, or create unique shade containers by adding to fountain grass, hostas, false forget-me-not, or bleeding heart.

Many coleus plants do not come true from seed so gardeners who want to propagate a specific look can root cuttings. Coleus is fairly easy to root from soft cuttings and can be overwintered indoors in small pots until the last frost date. If gardeners do not plan to try growing from seed, many will pinch back any flowering stems to keep the coleus plants looking full and bushy, rather than leggy.