Looking for a few simple tips and tricks to save your coleus plants and keep them alive through the winter to grow again next year?
More and more gardeners are growing coleus with each passing year – and all over their landscape. With varieties that can grow foliage in a seemingly endless rainbow of bold, near neon-like colors, they are perfect for filling flowerbeds, containers and hanging baskets with big interest.
But unfortunately, in most climates, coleus grows as an annual. And a very tender one at that! Coleus plants are extremely vulnerable to the slightest bit of cold weather. In fact, so vulnerable, that they usually are one of the first plants to shrivel and die off from even the lightest of frosts.
But here’s the good news – just because a cold snap might spell the end of your coleus plants outdoors – it doesn’t mean you have to stop enjoying the beauty their foliage can bring through the long, cold winter months.
As it turns out, coleus makes for the perfect indoor houseplant. And existing plants are incredibly easy to save – either by bringing an entire potted plant indoors, or by simply taking a cutting from the plant and creating a whole new indoor houseplant!
Not only will it brighten up your indoors all winter long – when spring and summer happen to roll back around next year, you’ll have ready-to-grow coleus plants for your flowerbeds or containers – all for free!
How To Keep Coleus Plants Alive Over Winter As A Houseplant
Coleus As A Houseplant – How To Grow Coleus Indoors
Coleus really is the ideal overwintering houseplant. Native to Asia and the Australian coast, they are actually a perennial in warm, tropical environments.
As long as coleus is not subjected to freezing temperatures, it will grow for several years without issue. And because it’s a member of the mint family, it can grow in less than ideal conditions. Much like other plants in the mint family, it also handles container growing with ease.
The colorful plant doesn’t require long hours of light to grow. Nor does it need a tremendous amount of soil fertility to produce its signature foliage. In fact, all you really need to grow coleus indoors is a warm room with a sunny window.
And what if you don’t happen to have existing plants? No worries there either! Coleus plants also happen to be extremely easy and inexpensive to start right from seed indoors. With that in mind, here are the ins and outs of growing coleus indoors – from existing plants, cuttings, or by growing from seed!
Saving Potted Plants – How To Keep Coleus Plants Alive Over Winter As A Houseplant
If you happen to have a potted plant on your porch, patio or deck, as long as you move it indoors before your first frost, it can be quite easy to grow and maintain as a potted houseplant.
Coleus does not require excessively warm temperatures to survive indoors. As long as the room stays above 60 degrees (F) the plants should perform well. Coleus likes moist, humid conditions. With that in mind, be sure to water regularly and keep the soil moist.
Locate existing potted plants where they can receive at least 6 hours of light each day. Placing them near a southern facing window is best. A southern facing window works well because it provides the best opportunity to capture the sun’s winter arc.
In addition, keep plants away from drafts and heating vents to keep the plant from drying out. Finally, just like when growing coleus outdoors, remove any bloom stems that appear. Not only are the blooms small and less than showy, they also take massive energy away from the plant.
How To Create A Houseplant From A Cutting – How To Keep Coleus Plants Alive Over The Winter
When growing outdoors during the summer months, coleus plants quite often grow overly large. This can often make bringing an entire plant indoors nearly impossible. In this case, taking a cutting from an existing plant is the answer!
Coleus plants propagate amazingly well from cuttings. Cuttings are not only a great way to create a houseplant, but to create tons of new plants during the summer to fill flowerbeds for free. All you need is a mature coleus plant, a pair of scissors and a small container filled with soil or water.
To take a cutting, first look for a long mature stem that has an apical stem. It sounds fancy, but the term apical simply means a mature stem that has a bud on the end of it. Next, cut the stem off at the base and remove the first few sets of leaves.
How To Root The Cutting – How To Keep Coleus Plants Alive Over The Winter
At this point, you can either stick the stem into water or directly into soil to root. Both will work well, although placing the plant in water first will usually develop roots a bit faster. Coleus roots so easily, there is no need to use a rooting hormone.
If rooting in water, as soon as the coleus has developed roots a few inches long, the start can be transplanted into its final container. If starting in dirt directly, simply keep the soil moist while the plant roots.
Cuttings are an excellent way to keep the same line of plants going year after year. Not only does it save big on your garden budget, it allows you to keep your favorite colors alive and well with ease!
Growing Coleus From Seed- Growing Coleus Indoors As A Houseplant
If you are not fortunate enough to have coleus already growing, you can start your own houseplants from seed without any trouble at all. Affiliate Seed Link: Sow Right Seeds – Coleus Rainbow Mix Seeds for Planting
Growing from seed has a lot of advantages for gardeners. First, it allows you to find unique and vibrant varieties that can be hard to purchase as plants in stores. But even more, you can start a lot of plants with a minimal investment in seed.
Plant coleus seed directly into your container and place in the warmest room of your house. To keep humidity high and to speed germination, place plastic wrap over the container until the seed sprouts. Once the plant germinates, move to a sunny windowsill, keeping the soil moist with frequent watering.
Here’s to saving your beautiful coleus this fall! For more on saving fall plants, check out our article: How To Keep Mums Alive Over The Winter – Save Your Mums This Fall For Next Year!
This Is My Garden
Follow Our Facebook Page For Great Gardening Tips And Advice! This Is My Garden Facebook Page
This Is My Garden is a garden website created by gardeners, for gardeners. Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books and speaking for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. They publish three articles every week, 52 weeks a year. Sign up today to follow via email, or follow along!