Coleus Combinations continued...

Here is a dramatic large planting with red ornamental grass surrounded by with three plants each of 'Charlie McCarthy' coleus and lime-green sweet-potato vine. There are also a couple of 'Trailing Garnet Robe' coleus peeking though its pot-mates.

Combo-pots continued...

This photo was sent to us by a customer and it features two great coleus companions: Impatiens and Ipomoea (sweet potato vine). Garden-variety impatiens that can be purchased inexpensively by the flat in the spring are a marvelous filler for coleus pots and beds since they do well in the same conditions and they come in an huge variety of colors and sizes. Ipomoea vines also come in a nice range of colors and leaf shapes, and the fact that they are such vigorous growers helps when you want a vine that trails longer than any trailing coleus. This photo features a beautiful 'Big Chief' coleus partnered with white impatiens and bronze and chartreuse sweet potato vines. The white impatiens cools the combination and really makes it pop out of the background late in the afternoon when some of the other plants are fading with the light. To get the opposite effect, imagine a red impatiens in this pot for a hot combination!

Favorite Combo Pots

One of the great uses for coleus is to put them in a beautiful pot with other plants that are suited to the same conditions as coleus. For example, you wouldn't want to plant a cactus in with coleus as it would eventually rot from the amount of water that a coleus needs. Fortunately, the list of plants that have the same light and water requirements as coleus is a long one. For the next few posts I am going to highlight some of my favorite combinations that I have used here at our home and that I have photographed at other homes. I will also feature pictures that our customers have generously shared with us. This first photo is a close-up of a pot containing several coleus and companion plants. When grown together they intertwine and in this shot a vigorous shoots of Coleus 'Trailing Rose' and 'Florida Sun Rose' are peeking though Fuchsia 'Billy Green' and Plectranthus argentus. I love the pinks, purples, and silvers of this combination.