Add bold color to sunny or shady spots with the jewel-toned foliage of coleus. Once thought of as only a shade plant, newer varieties of coleus are now available in a rainbow of colors that can thrive in full sun.

Coleus are also super easy to grow. Just give them some slightly moist soil and stand back!

Grow this versatile tropical annual in beds or borders, containers, window boxes or hanging baskets. Combine with other plants such as fuchsias, begonias, or elephant ears for a dazzling summertime display. Coleus are a foliage lover’s dream. They provide color and texture to garden beds and pots without flowers. Every year I go to the garden center and buy some coleus for my garden pots and to brighten up shady areas in my garden. I treat them like annuals, and purchase them along with my petunias, zinnias, and geraniums. But are coleus actually perennial?

Zones: 10-11
Exposure: Partial sun to shade
Habit: Mounding, upright, or trailing habit
Height/Spread: 6 to 36 inches tall, 12 to 36 inches wide