The Coleus Tree

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Coleus Tree
I've always liked the bright colors of Coleus or Flame Nettle (Solenostemon scutellarioides). It's one of those easy to grow plants that responds well to tip and bud pinching to make it bushy. Coleus are often available as houseplants for pots or hanging baskets and you can grow them outside in a semi shady spot in the warm months and move them inside to a well lit window in the winter.

Once you've established one or two plants with the colors you really like it's easy to propagate new plants from cuttings. And if you want you can start your own plants from seeds purchased from some of the seed catalog companies.

Native to tropical Africa and Asia, Coleus is a burst of color. Many varieties have a tendency to get a bit leggy if you don't pinch them back regularly to encourage branching. They're also quick to form a flower bud that needs to be pinched out to maintain the plants' shape.

The leaf color of these Rainbow mixed coleus increase in intensity as they get more sun. These plants were started from seed.
Carried over from the previous year this rooted stem has just started to put on new growth. With a regiment of stem and flower pinching the plant will grow into a short but bushy tree like shape.
The coleus constantly forms new flower buds that need to be pinched off to help maintain the artificial shape of a tree.

In 1999 I cut back some of the Rainbow Coleus I'd started from seed and stuck some of the longer stems into a rooting mix and left it in the greenhouse without paying much attention to their growth habit. Over the winter the stems rooted but the plants defoliated leaving long, unattractive stems.

As spring approached the stems were transplanted into pots and new growth started to appear. As the growth continued I regularly pinched the tips of branches and removed and flower buds that formed. As the leaves grew I had to stake the stem of the Coleus to keep the stem from falling over and breaking off. Before I knew it I had a Coleus tree or a standard. Originally grown in plastic pots the standard became a bit top heavy and to compensate for the weight I transplanted the Coleus into small, yet tall, heavy clay pots. The pots worked perfectly with the now unusual shape of the the Coleus.

The same Rainbow Coleus as the second picture above has put on new growth and starts to take shape as a tree.
Standard trained coleus in need of selective pruning. Note the bamboo stakes supporting the stems of the plants. These plants are very susceptible to damage and require a protective area.

Although the little coleus tree is unusual and has a nice shape, it can be a lot of work to maintain because of the needed pinching of flowers shoots and stems. The trunk has to be staked and tied to prevent breaking. First year Coleus can be very tender and easily snapped off in heavy wind or with careless handling.

No matter whether trained as a standard or grown in a pot or hanging basket, Coleus is an easy, colorful foliage plant to grow.

Editor's note: Standard coleus trees are incredibly brittle. Branches and stems can break from heavy wind, or rough treatment. They need to be well staked. The only insect problems I've noticed are mealy bugs and occasional moth larvae. Javelina also like to feed on the colorful foliage. I've managed to keep a couple of these standards for four years. (2000)