I tried something new and did my cuttings in Early August when I trimmed back coleus that had overgrown its space. Each kind (I have 6) is in individually labeled jar of water, not soil.
Then Labor Day weekend I cut all the coleus foliage off the plants before I pulled them and put those stems in big bouquets. Keeping water changed and cleaning stems so I can use these bouquets for decoration.

Do whatever works... I say

Definitely! And then do it again! LOL!

In retrospect, my fails with Coleus fall into 3 categories. First, not enough light during winter. Even in LA (lower Alabama) where most winter days have blinding sunshine vs. the much more often dreary winter skies when I lived in OH, Coleus do best in the sunniest spots while inside. Second, not noticing jars of water were drying up & failing to add more water in time. Third, waiting too long to take cuttings, until plants have gotten too chilled.

The cold usually gets me.. Halloween is a big thing here.. busy time now

Felix looked doubtful by early May but I planted it anyhow and took 30 cuttings on Sunday!

It's that time again, starting at the lower zones. Keep an eye on your forecast and if you want to snip cuttings from Coleus in the ground, the chances of success are better if done before lows drop much below 50° for more than 1 night.

If you decide later it was too soon and want to do new snips, no reason not to. You can always chop as much off of the top as you want to keep a Coleus small while inside if needed.

Winter is also a great time to practice bonsai trimming techniques on Coleus plants. The rapid pace of the growth yields quickly observable results.

My success rate remains well above 90% in water or soil, when putting at least 4" of stem in water or soil, (leaves removed from that area), then making sure they don't get too dry. Plenty of sun.

A lot of other cute little plants can be done the same way if they are also tender perennials, not true annuals.

Yeah let mine flower for the hummingbirds again.. kills me but they do enjoy them

I took some coleus cuttings in spring and again in late summer. They have all rooted so I'm pleased and now they are in medium pots. Half I rooted in water; half I planted in soil direct.

Frankly, I'm surprised they did NOT end up being the color of the mother plants, which are supposed to be Wizard 'Velvet Red' (shown below):


I know many plants don't color true if grown from seed, but I thought they ALWAYS did from direct cuttings. What am I not getting here that not a single one of these cuttings is as dark a red as the mother plants?

Are they right next to each other?

Not sure I follow why that would make a difference, @purpleinopp, but the mother plants are in 21" pots in my front yard; the cuttings are in 8" pots in my back yard. I have NO other coleus in the yard at this time. That's why I wanted so many babies of Velvet Red started ahead for next Spring. But honestly, the color is so drab on these cuttings, I don't know if I'll even plant them out now. Maybe for an odd hanging basket somewhere I could use these, but I was really wanting more large splashes of dark red to make an impact among the non-blooming dark green stuff the former owner planted all over the the front yard.

If the exposure is different, that would yield different colors. A same Coleus can be totally schizo and look very different in different exposures.

Oh, I didn't know that, Tiffany. That probably explains it all then. Ya learn something everyday from you plant experts. These new seedlings are 'growing up' on a low brick planter by my rear driveway that faces North, getting a couple hours of morning sun daily. The mother plants are in pots in dappled shade all day long (underneath tree cover) out in my East-facing corner bed but not on the sunny side of it, so they don't even get morning sun. If I were to move them to the front dappled-shade setting, do you think they might "red up" some? Or do you think this color variance is irreversible by me?

Most likely would change in time

Agree with Allison's prediction.

I reject the title "expert" in case it was aimed @ me. I plan to remain in a learning curve indefinitely, maintain acknowledgment about the enormity of what I don't know and haven't seen, believing that I will continue to observe new things. ...but I'm happy to describe what I have seen.

Okey, dokey. I'll just move them around to the front bed where Mom & Pop are.

Please update us on the results. ; )

Agree .. always learning something new .. let us know how it goes

Some early snips from a plant that was at the base of a tree that we just cut down. The bloom things are SO long! The bees love them so much, I left them on. By the time these jars come inside, the bees will have had a few more weeks to enjoy them.

@janelnigringmailco you gonna save your coleus?

pirl said: Back in September I spent three days taking cuttings and potting them up so I wouldn't face it when I have so much else to do, like digging dahlias every day this week! I didn't count the cuttings but I'd guess there are at least 300 and they're all doing fine. So is the Iresene (inside and outside)! Still another coleus I have to get and it's glorious now.



No frost yet and none in the forecast through 11/27.

Do you just pot up unrooted cuttings?