Growing Coleus: A Complete Profile
By Growing Home Greens Team · August 20, 2026
Coleus is a foliage plant. NC State Extension puts it plainly: it is grown for its multi-coloured leaves, in reds, burgundies, pinks and golds, and the flowers are beside the point.
Pinch the flowers off
When it does flower, it puts energy into seed and the foliage declines. Pinching out the flower spikes as they appear keeps the leaves coming, and it is the only routine maintenance the plant asks for.
The tag matters more than the species
The toolbox lists it as tolerating anything from deep shade to full sun, which is unhelpfully broad until you know why: older cultivars scorch in sun and newer sun-tolerant series do not. Two plants sold as coleus can want opposite conditions. Keep the label.
Size and season
Six inches to three feet, in both height and spread, depending on cultivar. Perennial in zones 10 and 11 and an annual everywhere else.
It roots readily from cuttings in a glass of water, which is how most people carry a favourite plant through winter rather than sowing fresh. Seed is fine and needs light, sown about ten weeks before the last frost.
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, Plectranthus scutellarioides.
Companion planting guide for Coleus · Find your planting dates
Typically viable in USDA zones 3-11. Not sure your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.
Mature height: 0.5-3 ft
Method: Start indoors: Start indoors from seed, then transplant outside. It needs a head start most zones can't give it by direct-sowing alone.
When to plant coleus, by zone
Every zone coleus grows in. Pick your zone in the header and it will be highlighted here. Each zone links to its full page.
| Zone | Start indoors | Sow or plant out | Bloom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3a & 3b | Mar 21–Mar 28 | Jun 13–Jun 20 | Aug 27–Sep 3 |
| 4a & 4b | Mar 6–Mar 13 | May 29–Jun 5 | Aug 12–Aug 19 |
| 5a & 5b | Mar 1–Mar 8 | May 24–May 31 | Aug 7–Aug 14 |
| 6a & 6b | Feb 14–Feb 21 | May 9–May 16 | Jul 23–Jul 30 |
| 7a & 7b | Jan 30–Feb 6 | Apr 24–May 1 | Jul 8–Jul 15 |
| 8a & 8b | Jan 14–Jan 21 | Apr 8–Apr 15 | Jun 22–Jun 29 |
| 9a & 9b | Dec 7–Dec 14 | Mar 1–Mar 8 | May 15–May 22 |
| 10a & 10b | Nov 21–Nov 28 | Feb 13–Feb 20 | Apr 29–May 6 |
| 11a & 11b | Oct 23–Oct 30 | Jan 15–Jan 22 | Mar 31–Apr 7 |
Bloom dates are about 75 days after the sow or plant-out date, not after starting seeds indoors.
See exact start-indoors, direct-sow, and harvest dates for your zone →
How many Coleus plants fit per square foot?
Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 0.5-3 ft.
Varieties worth considering
- Main Street Beale Street (best for: red color in sun or shade): A 2020 All-America Selections winner with deep red leaves that, in the trials, held their color in sun or shade without the bleaching seen in the comparison varieties, and hardly flowered even late in the season. Sold as plants, not seed. 24 to 36 inches tall. (source)
Why each variety is listed comes from the source shown next to it. We haven't grown these ourselves yet, so treat this as a research-backed starting point, not a personal endorsement. The buy links are separate from those sources: they go to seed suppliers that sell that exact variety, and we may earn a commission on some of them.
Where to buy coleus seeds
True Leaf Market · Burpee (each supplier's coleus seeds)
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See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing coleus" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
Pin this for later
Growing Coleus: Grown for leaf colour rather than flowers, with the sun tolerance depending entirely on which cultivar you bought.
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