Description
Wizard Velvet Red Coleus is an herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.Wizard Velvet Red Coleus will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 9 inches apart. Although it’s not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.
Foliage is a great accent to all shade gardens and landscape. The wide range of colors are so varied that just mixing different Coleus together is striking. A familiar common name for Coleus is Painted Nettle.Coleus plants are durable and easy to grow. The coleus plants are a tender perennials. Frost will cause them to die immediately. Coleus plants are so colorful that many people keep them and use them as a house plant. These plants will do best in temperatures above 55 degrees. Flower buds should be pinched off as soon as they develop. If a coleus plant is allowed to seed, it has completed its life cycle and will die. Coleus must have good soil drainage. Poorly drained soils and excessive watering will damage coleus. Plants suffering from “wet feet” will be stunted, leaves will turn a muddy brown, and leaf margins will be scorched.
All Coleus prefer evenly moist garden soil. Where the growing season is long, pinch the tips of the stems regularly to encourage branching and compact growth. If you grow Coleus in containers, we recommend that you incorporate a timed-release fertilizer at planting time. We also suggest using a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks for plants in containers; in the ground, once a month is enough, with the fertilizer diluted to half-strength. Hardy only to Zone 10, plants cannot withstand frost without damage. In colder climates, plants can be overwintered without difficulty on a sunny windowsill, or take tip cuttings in early fall to start new plants. Coleus root very readily.
It is commonly recommended that the blooms of Coleus be removed as soon as they appear because they detract from the foliage display. Bloom is sparse on the varieties we offer, and the small lavender-blue flowers are neither unattractive nor very showy; it hardly seems worth the trouble to cut them off.
We think you, too, will admire the creamy yellow tear-drop pattern flowing down the centers of these crocodile green leaves—indeed, an eye-catching combination. Plants are exceptionally well-branched and heat tolerant.
The endlessly varied foliage of Coleus has made a comeback as gardeners rediscover old varieties and breeders introduce new ones. Our selection offers a diversity of foliage color, leaf shape, and growth habit, and they all make glorious container subjects. Though most tolerate full sun, they are more valuable for color in shade. This Coleus has crocodile green foliage with a creamy-yellow tear drop center.
