Last fall I photographed several varieties of coleus at Longwood Gardens. I was so surprised to see the different varieties they had – prior to that – almost all the coleuses I’d seen had been the ones growing in local gardens or as house plants.
All four varieties of coleus I photographed were members of the same species – solenostemon scutellarioides. They are members of the lamiaceae (mint) family. Originally native to Southeast Asia and Malaysia, they are now cultivated almost worldwide. Coleus are perennial plants that prefer partial shade and are easy to propagate by cuttings.
I really liked the colors and shapes of the leaves I saw at Longwood Gardens.
Fiesta Coleus
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
Rustic Orange Coleus
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
Alabama Sunset Coleus
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
And finally Garnet Robe Coleus
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
I’ll definitely keep an eye out for additional varieties of coleus to photograph in the future – who knew their leaves came in such wonderful colors and patterns?
Thanks for the beautiful photos!! As head gardener at a large cemetery I am looking to include more varieties of coleus and Alabama Sunset is high on my list-looking to include Henna, Mint Mocha and more Sedona- and Kingswood Torch will be my hosta beds again for the contrast-thank you again for the great photos!