Plants
Coleus
Coleus scutellarioides · Lamiaceae
The coleus is the painter among foliage plants: wine red, lime, copper and purple sweep across the soft leaves in countless patterns. It grows rapidly, is child's play to propagate from cuttings and works in a pot on the windowsill just as well as on the balcony or terrace in summer. We buy our coleus in compact, well-branched quality at the Veiling Rhein-Maas.
- Light
- Bright to sunny; modern cultivars take full sun, older indoor varieties prefer dappled shade.
- Watering
- Generous and even — the root ball should never dry out completely, but avoid waterlogging too.
- Care level
- Easy
- Botanical
- Coleus scutellarioides
Botanically the coleus has a turbulent naming history: it long traded as Solenostemon or Plectranthus and has now returned to Coleus scutellarioides. Despite the German name Buntnessel it is not related to stinging nettles — it belongs to the mint family and, of course, does not sting.
The range of cultivars runs from near-black selections such as Black Dragon through lime-green Wasabi to wildly patterned series such as Kong with plate-sized leaves. Many modern cultivars are bred to be sun-tolerant and take far more light outdoors than the old indoor varieties.
The leaf pattern stands or falls with light: placed too dark, the leaves revert to green and the shoots stretch into long, unstable stems. By a bright window or in dappled shade outdoors, the pattern stays high-contrast and the habit compact.
The most important task is pinching: regularly break out the shoot tips and the inconspicuous blue-violet flower spikes, because flowering drains the plant and the foliage declines. Pinch consistently and you get dense, bushy plants instead of leggy stems.
Propagation practically runs itself: tip cuttings root in a glass of water within one to two weeks. That is how you carry a favourite cultivar through winter, because coleus is not frost-hardy — below twelve degrees Celsius it stops growing, and frost ends the season for good.
For households with animals there is one drawback: the essential oils of the coleus are toxic to cats and dogs. On the balcony and windowsill it therefore belongs out of reach of curious noses.
Is Coleus toxic to children and pets?
- Children
- Mildly irritating
- Cats
- Toxic
- Dogs
- Toxic
The essential oils of coleus are toxic to cats and dogs — even skin contact with the oils can irritate. For children it is considered mildly toxic; eating it should be avoided. Keep out of reach of pets.
Typical symptoms: In animals after ingestion: vomiting, diarrhoea (occasionally bloody), drooling and loss of appetite; skin contact may cause redness.
In an emergency:call the German poison control centre in Bonn on +49 228 19240 (24/7) — for pets, contact an emergency vet directly. This information does not replace medical or veterinary advice.
Overview: toxic & non-toxic plants for cats, dogs and children
Care
- 01Place bright — the more light, the more intense the leaf pattern; harsh midday sun only for sun-tolerant cultivars.
- 02Keep evenly moist, coleus is thirsty; wilted foliage recovers quickly after watering.
- 03Pinch shoot tips regularly so the plant stays bushy.
- 04Break out flower buds — flowering comes at the expense of the beautiful foliage.
- 05Feed every one to two weeks from spring to autumn.
- 06Do not keep below twelve degrees Celsius; bring indoors before the first frost or take cuttings.
Frequently asked
- Is coleus toxic to cats and dogs?
- Yes. The essential oils it contains can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and drooling in cats and dogs; in sensitive animals even close skin contact can irritate. In pet households, keep coleus well out of reach.
- Should I remove coleus flowers?
- Yes, ideally straight away. The blue-violet flower spikes are inconspicuous but cost the plant a lot of energy — the foliage pales and the habit turns leggy afterwards. Removing flower shoots encourages fresh, intensely coloured leaves instead.
- Can coleus go outside in summer?
- Very well indeed. After the last spring frosts it makes a rewarding balcony and bedding plant in dappled shade, with sun-tolerant cultivars managing full sun. Before the first frost it must come back indoors, or you take cuttings in time as the next generation.
- How do I propagate coleus?
- It could hardly be easier: cut tip cuttings about ten centimetres long below a leaf node, remove the lower leaves and place them in a glass of water. Roots show after one to two weeks, then pot into soil. That is how favourite cultivars overwinter compactly on the windowsill.