How to grow Coleus (Rainbow Mixed)

Coleus scutellarioides

🌸 Flower 🌱 Grown each year

Grown for its dazzling leaves splashed with red, purple, lime and cream. Brilliant in pots and shady beds, and as a houseplant.

At a glance: Sow early February to early March.

When to sow, plant and harvest

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Sow indoors

Plant

Flowers

Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.

Growing Coleus (Rainbow Mixed): what it needs

Light: Part shade · 6+ hours a day
Watering: Water in dry spells; pots daily in summer
Soil: Any well-drained soil
Spacing: 30 cm
Height: 45 cm
In pots: Grows well in containers
Feeding: Liquid feed every two weeks once flowering starts
Hardiness: USDA zones 2–11
Difficulty: Easy

Step by step

Early February – early March · 10 weeks before the last spring frost
Sow Seeds Indoors
Sow in trays or modules of seed compost on a warm windowsill or in a propagator. Surface-sow at 20–25°C.
10–21 days after “Sow Seeds Indoors” · Mid February – late February
Check Germination
Seedlings should appear in 10–21 days. Keep the soil moist. If sown outdoors, thin them to 30 cm apart once they have two true leaves.
14–21 days after “Check Germination” · Late February – early March
Pot On Seedlings
When seedlings have two true leaves, move each into its own small pot or module, holding them by a leaf, not the stem.
Early May · 3 weeks after the last spring frost
Harden Off
Stand plants outside by day and bring them in at night for 7–10 days so they get used to outdoor conditions.
Mid May – mid June · 4 weeks after the last spring frost
Plant Out
Plant out 30 cm apart once frosts are over. Water in well.
14–21 days after “Plant Out” · Late May – early June
Pinch Out Tips (optional)
Pinch out the growing tip above the third or fourth pair of leaves for bushier plants with more flowers.
59–89 days after “Check Germination” · Late May – late June
Pinch Out Flower Spikes
Snip off the small flower spikes as they appear to keep the leaves bright and bushy. Take a photo of the colours!
Mid October – early November · around the first autumn frost
Clear or Collect Seed
When frost blackens the plants, pull them up for the compost heap. Leave a few seedheads first if you want to save seed.