Brighten Up Your Shady Garden With The Help Of This Plant's Colorful Foliage

Shadows from buildings and trees may dampen the color of a garden, making it look less vibrant than it actually is. Adding extra color to your shady garden beds is one way to remedy the problem, but incorporating bold hues is another. Planting coleus (Coleus scutellarioides) can do both. The foliage of these plants bursts with a range of brilliant hues, and there are all sorts of color combinations available. Since coleus can generally handle full or partial shade, they're a good choice for dark corners of flower beds and other plantings. They're also suitable for baskets hanging on your shadow-drenched porch or a stunning plant wall you've built somewhere that doesn't get much sunshine.

Coleus are typically grown as annuals in the United States, though they can function as perennials in USDA Hardiness Zones 10 and 11. They also make great houseplants. Gardeners sometimes dig them up, pot them, and bring them indoors when cold weather is approaching. When deciding whether to move them inside, keep in mind they may suffer damage when temperatures dip below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. 

If you think you might move your coleus to a warmer location for the winter, consider growing them in containers or planting them in spots that are easy to access with a shovel. It's also a good idea to give them enough space to show off their leaves. Many of the largest coleus plants reach a height and width of around 3 feet.

Consider filling shady areas with variegated coleus, which present their hues in patterns that double the visual interest. Each leaf of the Coleus 'Watermelon' cultivar is a celebration of color, pairing a bright pink middle with edges that are a light, bright green. This cultivar often reaches a height of 2 feet in its effort to capture attention. If you're seeking a large cultivar with a different color scheme, consider Coleus 'Splish Splash.' Each specimen will grow to at least 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide (and often more), and the foliage features a burgundy hue and dapples of golden yellow.

Multicolored plants in the Kong series of coleus plants are especially comfortable in shade. Several Kong varieties offer foliage that pairs vibrant lime greens with pretty shades of pink, purple, or red. Coleus 'Kong Lime Sprite' features scalloped edges and a splash of burgundy in the center of each leaf, while Coleus 'Kong Mosaic' has a more abstract smattering of magenta, maroon, and cream. 

Coleus that sport a single bold color can be impactful in a shady flower bed, too. Coleus 'Redhead' makes a statement with reddish-pink leaves, elegantly serrated margins, and an astounding height of up to 4 feet, while Coleus 'Wasabi' flaunts a chartreuse hue that looks like it might glow in the dark. In contrast, Coleus 'Inferno' is mostly orange, bringing autumnal vibes to its landscape, and makes for a particularly good choice when creating an allergy-friendly garden since it doesn't always produce flowers. In fact, most types of coleus are a good fit for this type of garden because their tiny blossoms make small quantities of pollen.