Despite the fact that Coleus is better known to us as an unpretentious houseplant, planting and care in the open field are becoming increasingly important. Recently, "indoor netting" is increasingly found in the garden, where it perfectly complements the ornamental plants growing there.
How to grow a plant so that it daily pleased you with its spectacular views? This will be discussed further.
Coleus: plant description
Coleus belongs to the group of evergreen shrub and herbaceous annual plants with opposite foliage on the petioles. Perhaps it is the leaves that act as the most conspicuous part of the plant, featuring different colors and original patterns.
Coleus flowers are collected in the apical spike-shaped inflorescences, which are particularly well seen in single plantings in a flower bed.
In nature, there is a fairly large number of the most diverse species of this plant (both annual and perennial), but Coleus, growing in the garden, has its own characteristics. It reaches 80 cm in height, has a carved powerful stem, which begins to harden within 6-8 months. The leaves of the plant are presented in a variety of color variations, and their shape is often different. In some species, there is a clearly visible multicolored border.
When flowering, Coleus resembles sage, as it has nondescript blue flowers.
Did you know? The room variant of the described plant came to us from the tropical countries of Asia, from where overseas merchants brought it many years ago.
Unlike other types of tropical plants, any varieties of coleus are characterized by low requirements in terms of care, however, in order to grow a really beautiful plant, it is still necessary to adhere to some rules.Choosing a landing site
If you are going to get a Coleus at your summer cottage, the first thing to do is to choose the right place for it to land. This plant prefers a well-lit area, where under the influence of sunlight the color of the leaves of the flower will become as bright as possible.
However, here it is necessary to remember some rules. For example, varieties with red or white leaves are well tolerated by the direct rays of the sun, while varieties with green leaves (of any shade) react much better to bright light.
Because of this, during periods of increased solar activity, they need to be shaded, although it will be more practical to perform landing immediately in partial shade. If this is not done, there will be burns on the leaves, and the flower will lose all appeal. 
Did you know? Initially, only one name was used in everyday life - Coleus, but the Russian people very quickly came up with another name for the plant. So nettle appeared, and I must say that today this name is used quite often.
Soil requirements
In addition to the illumination of the selected area, the composition of the soil plays an important role in planting Coleus. By and large, the soil can be completely different, the main thing is that it contains a large amount of nutrients and nitrogen. The more of this element in the ground and feeding, the greener the leaves of the plant and the less stencilled pattern.
A mixture of chernozem, pine needles, cow dung and sand in a ratio of 4: 2: 2: 1 is well suited for seed germination, and the earth should be sifted and well warmed. It is better to sow seedlings in separate containers and only after germination the plants should be transferred to open ground.
How to plant coleus
Having understood what a Coleus is, and having prepared a place for its landing, you can proceed directly to the process itself. Plants are planted more often in open ground, although in some cases gardeners use the seed method.
How to grow coleus from seed
Coleus multiplies well, both by seed and by using seedlings., but before you put nettle, it is worth weighing the pros and cons of each of the options. For example, it is not a secret that in the first case of sprouting you will have to wait a little longer, while from the seedlings you will quickly get a full-fledged ornamental plant. However, the seed method is much cheaper, since the price of seedlings is often very high.
On sale you will find excellent Dutch and English varieties that should be sown at the end of March. Sometimes the sowing of seeds is carried out at other times of the year, but in this case, it is likely that the seedlings will have to be organized with additional artificial illumination.
The soil for the plant must be fertile and well warmed, so for breeding Coleus by seed it is necessary to use a flat box, evenly spreading the seeds on the ground surface. Seedlings are sprayed from a spray bottle and lightly sprinkled with a thin layer of sand.
After that, cover the container with glass and place in a warm and gloomy place, keeping the ground in a slightly damp state.
Important! The germination of high-quality commercial seeds is high enough, but in order to achieve good results, do not buy them from your hands, but visit only specialty stores.The first shoots are shown already on the 7-10th day after sowing, and as soon as this happens, it will be possible to remove the glass and move the box to the bright east or west window, having previously protected the shoots from direct sunlight. From now on, the air temperature should be between 17-19 ºC.
Planting Coleus seeds fully justifies itself, so if you are in no hurry and want to save a little, it is better to give preference to this method of planting.
Selection and planting seedlings
The planting of Coleus seedlings in open ground is performed after the end of the cold weather, as soon as the earth warms up well. If you grow your own seedlings on your window sill, then all that is required is to simply transplant it in a flowerbed or garden.
However, if you want to buy ready-made seedlings, then first you need to decide on the variety. The cultivator of all cultivated Coleus species is considered to be the Blume variety, which also became the ancestor of the well-known hybrids of this plant (Rainbow series, Fantasia group, Dark Chocolate and Black Dragon varieties).
When choosing seedlings of this type, you should pay attention to the color of the leaves (usually they are rich pink with green framing around the edges), the thickness of the stem and the elasticity of the shoots. Sluggish, dried or yellowish leaves with thin legs should be avoided.
Transplantation of seedlings in open ground can be carried out from the beginning of June, as soon as the earth warms up and the night frosts recede. To do this, keeping a certain distance, dig in the desired location of the hole of the desired size, add a fertile substrate to them and disembark Coleus. After that, all plants are watered moderately with water.
In general, in terms of care, Coleus can be called an undemanding plant, and during reproduction in any way, the growing process will not take much energy from you, especially if you are going to grow it as an annual flower. As for perennials, then they are dug out for the winter from their habitual place of growth and kept in pots until spring.
Features care for coleus in the open field
As in the home, and when growing Coleus in open ground, you must follow some rules for watering, feeding and trimming plants.
How to water the plant
From spring to mid-autumn, nettles growing in the garden and on a bed are watered abundantly with soft settled water (rainwater can be used), and on hot days they are additionally sprayed (make sure that the topsoil is always wet).
In winter, the frequency of irrigation should be reduced, while avoiding the drying of earthen coma. The lack of the right amount of moisture causes the plant to wilt, in particular, the leaves lose their elasticity. With temperature indices of + 14 ... +16 ° C, watering is extremely rarely required, and a "dented" plant will tell you about the lack of moisture in the soil.
Coleus feeding rules
Any kind of coleus (whether it is a one-year or a perennial) needs periodic feeding. The first introduction of nutrients carried out two weeks after the dive of seedlings, which uses complex fertilizers. Each pack has instructions with recommended doses, but for young sprouts, it is better to reduce the indicated dosage by 3-4 times.
During the period of active growth, Coleus is fed weekly, adding a mineral complex of fertilizers intended for ornamental and deciduous plants to the flower, but the introduction of organic dressings also has a positive effect on the growth and color of the leaves.
For example, once a week it would be good to use potassium compounds for fertilizers (0.5 g per 1 liter of water), although in winter the frequency of such supplements should be reduced to once a month, using half-diluted fertilizers.
How to make a coleus compact shape, trimming plants
It is necessary to care for the flower Coleus (both indoor and garden species) in a certain way, and it is not limited to irrigation and fertilization. So, the plant also needs periodic pruning, although garden species need this procedure much less often than their indoor counterparts.
It helps to give the plants a compact and neat form, as well as save them from the appearance of inflorescences and wilted leaves, which adversely affect the decorative functions of the flower. Pruning is carried out before each new season and helps to extend the decorative properties of the plant for at least two years. During the procedure, all shoots are cut at a height of 5-7 cm, and the resulting cuttings are often planted in the ground to produce a new plant.
Coleus breeding methods
Coleus breeds in two main ways: using cuttings and by sowing seeds. Cutting is the most popular method, which allows you to quickly get new large and bushy plants.
Cuttings for breeding Coleus are cut in February or March, planting them in a tank with sand or rooting in water. After 7-14 days, roots appear on them, after which these parts of the plant can be planted in peat pots, pinching the tops of the longest shoots.
Important! Rooted cuttings or seedlings of Coleus are transplanted into the open ground only after the average daily air temperature stays at + 16 ... +18 ° C.
Seeds are sown in small containers with nutrient soil, after which they are lightly powdered with sand (this procedure has already been described above). If the indoor temperature is at an average level (about +20 ° C), then you will get the first shoots in 1-3 weeks.
After the emergence of sprouts, Coleus seedlings spar in special peat pots filled with nutritious soil mixture, leaf earth, sand and turf, in proportions of 1: 1: 1: 1, after which they are regularly watered until the moment of planting in open soil.
Placing young plants in a country bed, you should consider their ability to grow rapidly. Therefore, in addition to timely watering, loosening the soil and regular fertilizing, they need enough space for intensive growth.
It should be noted and the rapid development of Coleus. Within 2.5 - 3 months, a large and strongly branched plant with large leaves grows from a seedling, and the specimens obtained by grafting grow even faster. To create beautiful bushy flowers, simply pinch the shoots.
Given all the features of the proper cultivation of Coleus in the garden, you can create an excellent flower arrangement in which this plant will occupy one of the main places.
