Colorful nettles are enchanting ornamental foliage plants in the garden, tub and room. You can find more about the location and care here.
It's not always just the breathtaking flowering shrubs that give our gardens an enchanting flair. It is often the appealing leaf colors and shapes that achieve an equally alluring expression. I think directly of the coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides), which with its striking properties contributes to the staging of a lively and colorful plant spectacle in the home garden.
By the way, the colored nettle comes from the tropics of Asia. For our climatic conditions, the Solenostemon-Scutellarioides hybrids outdoors are not winter-hardy. However, the evergreen perennial has excellent chances for a perennial culture as a container and house plant.
Appearance
The colored nettle is known as a herbaceous ornamental leaf plant. It belongs to the mint family. From June to October, the colored nettle unfolds its flowers, which appear rather inconspicuous. The appeal of this plant comes from its colored, wavy or slitted leaves. Depending on the type and variety, the ornamental leaf plant can reach a height of 30 to 80 centimeters.
Cultivate the Coleus…
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- … in the garden as an annual. If you take cuttings in summer or autumn, you can propagate them in pots for next year.
- … in a bucket for the terrace or balcony. After pruning in autumn, the container plant can be overwintered in a bright spot in the room.
- … as a houseplant. If you take good care of them, you will have colorful room decorations at home for years.
➔ Tip: You can get young plants as well as colored nettle seeds in specialist garden shops and online plant shops.
Colorful nettle - the right choice of location
The location of the ornamental leaf plant is decisive for the color of the leaves. Whether in a bed, in a tub or as a houseplant, the coleus wants a bright spot. Therefore, it is best to offer your colored nettle a sunny place, without blazing midday sun. When choosing the location, make sure that the shrubby plant is sheltered from the wind. Soavoid a possible windbreak of the vigorous plant.
❏ Optimal soil for beds, pots and tubs
All three cultivars of Solenostemon scutellarioides thrive in well-drained, humus-rich, nutrient-rich and moist soil. It also does not harm the foliage plant if the substrate is slightly acidic. The decorative plant does not like lean, calcareous soil at all.
❏ Pour with lime-free water
If possible, use rainwater for watering. The plant does not tolerate calcareous tap water well. In summer, water the Solenostemon scutellarioides thoroughly every day, except on rainy days.
If your colored nettle is in a room, i.e. by the window in a sunny location, the moisture in the substrate will evaporate quickly. Therefore, you should keep the houseplant regularly moist - but avoid waterlogging. This also applies to the ornamental foliage plants in the tub on the terrace.
Also ensure sufficient humidity. So you can spray the pot and tub plant regularly with lime-free water that is not too cold.
❏ Nutrients for the coleus
- Colorful nettles in the bed are supplied with a long-term fertilizer for flowers while they are being planted.
- Give liquid green plant fertilizer to the colorful ornaments in the tub once a week during the growing season.
- As a houseplant on the windowsill, fertilize every two weeks with a houseplant fertilizer.
Before the hibernation, stop fertilizing your tub culture from the end of August and only start again in March. How often you supply your ornamental foliage plant with nutrients in the room during the dormant phase can be found in the dosing instructions for the houseplant fertilizer.
❏ Solenostemon scutellarioides tolerates pruning
You can keep the colored nettle in good shape with a trimming of the plant. Here are some tips:
- Prune the young plant to keep it nice and bushy.
- You can remove old and bare shoots without hesitation, the fast-growing rarity will soon regain its luxuriant form.
- Remove the inconspicuous inflorescences. Otherwise, the plant puts all its energy into developing the inflorescences and seeds and the growth of the ornamental leaves is weakened.
❏ Overwintering potted plants
If you want to overwinter your ornamental leaf plant in a bucket, then you have to bring it indoors. After all, the tropical plant needs a minimum temperature of about 12°Celsius. Before that, cut back the colored nettle by about two-thirds in the fall. Then put the bucket in a bright spot in the room. Don't forget to water the plant every now and then. The root ball must not dry out. At the end of hibernation, when budding begins, the plant gradually gets more moisture.
Diseases and Pests
Care mistakes affect the he alth of the coleus and cause pest infestations.
❏ Root rot due to waterlogging
Waterlogging usually leads to root rot. If you notice that your indoor or container plant is ailing, then check the plant substrate in the pot or container. If it has an unpleasant smell, then the root has been attacked. Carefully remove the plant from the pot and free the root ball from the soil. If this is only slightly infested, you can carefully remove the diseased root parts and replant the Solenostemon scutellarioides in new soil. However, if a large part of the root is damaged, then dispose of the diseased plant in the household waste.
❏ Spider mites through dry air
In places with dry air, spider mites like to settle on the leaves - this usually affects indoor plants. Isolate the infested coleus from other indoor cultures. Then shower off your ornamental foliage plant and wrap it in a clear foil bag. The humidity that develops causes the spider mites to die after 14 days at the latest.
Summary:
The coleus completes the colorful spectacle in the garden. In the bed, the plant is kept as an annual, cultivated as a houseplant or in a tub, it develops into a perennial, evergreen plant. This decorative leaf plant from the tropics prefers a bright location. The plant is watered regularly and only with rainwater. Container plants can overwinter indoors. These need a temperature of at least 12° Celsius.