In my area (Zone 5a),Coleus is an annual, but it’s one of those awesome plants that keeps on giving all summer long. It’s also easy to propagate and grow Coleus and makes a great and fast filler for your landscaping.
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It’s also one of those amazing,forgiving plants that you can snap a piece off for use a cutting and it will grow roots easily in water.
And, when you see those $5 baskets of coleus with 10 plants in them, make sure to buy them and break them a part! You can use them to fill in all over your garden! In fact when coleus get too tall and leggy, they are on their way to setting seed. This is a great time to snap a good inch or two off and they will branch out and become denser and fuller.
I know some of you are lucky that they are either a year round plants or will come back, but our frigid winters take care of that, so they are one of my favorite annuals here.
Also, giving it an aggressive pinching back will cause it to fill out beautifully, as you can see in the above picture.
Once the Coleus roots start appearing, you can plop it in some well-watered soil and let it grow.
When your propagate and grow Coleus, don’t let the roots get too long, or it won’t transplant well.
Normally in the beginning of the season, I buy some really beautiful large varieties, put them in the ground and start propagating and planting. Last winter, just before the first frost hit us hard, I took cuttings to overwinter my Coleus.
 They root and  grow so well in water, I thought I would put them in the sunniest window in the house(which happens to be my downstairs bathroom), in some random jars and vintage milk bottles, and see what happens.
I was happily surprised. I changed the water every week to keep it fresh. Not only did they flourish, but I can snapped them off  at a nodes when they get too big and started new ones.It was perfect because they were ready to transplant in the garden in the spring after the last frost date had passed. Who knew a salsa jar could look so good?
 It was so nice to have something  so alive inside when everything else is so bleak and barren outside.
 I think they look so pretty with their colors against the white and even their roots in the clear water look interesting.
When I change the water once a week I give the roots a quick rinse too.
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48 Comments
Beautiful!
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Such a great idea…they look so charming in the window. I’ll do this with my coleus next fall!
Not only is the plant lovely but your photos are just beautiful! Look like they belong in a magazine.
I wanted to let you know your post was so beautiful that it is featured on WebGarden today. Our readers enjoy getting ideas and inspiration. I hope many will follow your blog after visiting. Thanks for sharing your gardening talents! ~Brooke (CreativeCountryMom) http://creativecountrymom.blogspot.com/ Here is the link to see your post…. http://www.facebook.com/pages/WebGarden/261885457648?ref=ts
I love what you have done and I love Coleus. They remind me of my grandmother who grew it in her gardens. I, too, have it in mine now. Beautiful photos. Hugs, Deb=^..^=x5
Love the simple beauty. I wish I had thought of doing that with some of mine this year. I love how they root in water, it’s so pretty. Hugs-Carrie
What a beautiful way to bring some outside inside . . . even in the winter! These look so pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
I am ready for spring! I am totally not a winter girl. I need warmth. And I can’t wait to see the flowers bloom. We planted some new daffodils and some bluebells this fall, and they’re going to be so pretty. 🙂 Hope you have a great day!! Beth.
i love the simple beauty of little glasses all lined up with the sun shining through. so pretty jen xo
so perfect. i LOVE this. you’re right. who KNEW a salsa jar could look SO good?
Love this idea Jen and the jars are tres chic! Happy 2011 to you my friend. Hugs~ T
Love the depth of color that the different varieties of coleus offer. So pretty!
I love how they look all lined up. I acutally don’t have any coleus in my garden…but yours are so colorful, I just may have to add some this year.
Love your windowsill garden, Jennifer!
Oh, that makes me happy. We had a lovely coleus plant on our kitchen table when I was little. It was as if I could watch the leaves grow while I ate my cereal. They grow so quickly!
Your white beaded board makes me happy too!
: )
Julie M.
I’m totally dreaming lately…and loving it!
my sister gave me a live plant arrangement and it’s brightened the whole house with it’s greenery…
How delightful, it is nice to have something green and growing in your home despite the outside temps. Thanks for sharing the inspiration.
That’s a great idea. The roots look great. Enjoy!
Oh Jen….they are so gorgeous to me!!! Such simple beauty….against the white backdrop ~ hugs and love, Dawn
The things I learn while reading blogs…I will definitely try this next year. Thank you.
Hey Jen! This is just gorgeous with all the colors. Love that little chandy, too. I wanted to thank you for all my goodies from Heidi’s giveaway. So, I posted about it today. Appreciate all the extras. I’ve gotten so many compliments on my necklace. You are so very talented 🙂 Blessings Becky C
Simple,fresh and oh sooooo pretty!! Just what I needed! x0
What a great idea! I love coleus. When we lived in CA our neighbor had a whole side yard full of them. Thanks for the idea. Now to find a coleus plant here in Colorado in winter….-:)
wish i would have thought to do this. they look beautiful inside, and come spring, your garden will too! kathi
Wow, I wish I’d known that before my coleus died! Maybe next year.
are they okay hanging out in water all winter? or do you need to put them in soil for overwintering?
Mine do fine, when it is time to go back in the ground, I actually do a new cutting and do fresh roots,when they are less than 1/4 inch long, they go right in the dirt.
Beautiful!
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Love coleus! Just wish we had enough shady spots in the yard to grown them. Too much sun = unhappy coleus for me.
Such a great idea…they look so charming in the window. I’ll do this with my coleus next fall!
Not only is the plant lovely but your photos are just beautiful! Look like they belong in a magazine.
I wanted to let you know your post was
so beautiful that it is featured on
WebGarden today. Our readers enjoy
getting ideas and inspiration. I hope
many will follow your blog after visiting.
Thanks for sharing your gardening talents!
~Brooke (CreativeCountryMom)
http://creativecountrymom.blogspot.com/
Here is the link to see your post….
http://www.facebook.com/pages/WebGarden/261885457648?ref=ts
I love what you have done and I love Coleus. They remind me of my grandmother who grew it in her gardens. I, too, have it in mine now. Beautiful photos. Hugs, Deb=^..^=x5
Love the simple beauty. I wish I had thought of doing that with some of mine this year. I love how they root in water, it’s so pretty. Hugs-Carrie
What a beautiful way to bring some outside inside . . . even in the winter! These look so pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
So simple and pretty!
I am ready for spring! I am totally not a winter girl. I need warmth. And I can’t wait to see the flowers bloom. We planted some new daffodils and some bluebells this fall, and they’re going to be so pretty. 🙂
Hope you have a great day!!
Beth.
i love the simple beauty of little glasses all lined up with the sun shining through. so pretty jen
xo
so perfect.
i LOVE this.
you’re right.
who KNEW a salsa jar could look SO good?
Love this idea Jen and the jars are tres chic!
Happy 2011 to you my friend.
Hugs~
T
Love the depth of color that the different varieties of coleus offer. So pretty!
I love how they look all lined up. I acutally don’t have any coleus in my garden…but yours are so colorful, I just may have to add some this year.
Love your windowsill garden, Jennifer!
Oh, that makes me happy. We had a lovely coleus plant on our kitchen table when I was little. It was as if I could watch the leaves grow while I ate my cereal. They grow so quickly!
Your white beaded board makes me happy too!
: )
Julie M.
I’m totally dreaming lately…and loving it!
my sister gave me a live plant arrangement and it’s brightened the whole house with it’s greenery…
How delightful, it is nice to have something green and growing in your home despite the outside temps. Thanks for sharing the inspiration.
That’s a great idea. The roots look great. Enjoy!
Oh Jen….they are so gorgeous to me!!! Such simple beauty….against the white backdrop ~ hugs and love, Dawn
The things I learn while reading blogs…I will definitely try this next year. Thank you.
Hey Jen!
This is just gorgeous with all the colors. Love that little chandy, too.
I wanted to thank you for all my goodies from Heidi’s giveaway. So, I posted about it today. Appreciate all the extras. I’ve gotten so many compliments on my necklace. You are so very talented 🙂
Blessings
Becky C
Simple,fresh and oh sooooo pretty!! Just what I needed! x0
What a great idea! I love coleus. When we lived in CA our neighbor had a whole side yard full of them. Thanks for the idea. Now to find a coleus plant here in Colorado in winter….-:)
wish i would have thought to do this. they look beautiful inside, and come spring, your garden will too!
kathi
Wow, I wish I’d known that before my coleus died! Maybe next year.
are they okay hanging out in water all winter? or do you need to put them in soil for overwintering?
Mine do fine, when it is time to go back in the ground, I actually do a new cutting and do fresh roots,when they are less than 1/4 inch long, they go right in the dirt.