There are so many colors and shapes in coleus plants that the ideas for filling outdoor flowering pots with them can be endless. First, it is helpful to find a flowering plant that complements the culture of coleus. Osteospermum is one such choice. Then, a filler is needed to complete the plant combination.
Gardeners can consider these outdoor flowering pots for placing in earlier morning sun but remember to shield them from the strong afternoon light. Here are the plant selections for each of the combinations, one of each type of plant is recommended for a 10” diameter pot, approximately 10” deep:
- Solenostemon ‘Apocalypse’ is an upright coleus.
- Osteospermum Soprano® ‘Lilac Spoon’ has light purple coloring.
- Ipomoea batatas ‘Blackie’ is a dark purple sweet potato vine.
- Solenostemon ‘Inky Fingers’ will creep over the container’s edge.
- Osteospermum Soprano® ‘Lilac Spoon’ is the same as above.
- Thyme linear leaf has tiny leaves along stiff horizontal branching.
Solenostemon Colors and Leaf Forms
Solenostemon can grow in upright, fingered-leaf or duckfoot forms. There is also an abundance of coleus leaf patterns and colors from which to choose. Deciding which coleus plant to use first for a pot combination allows the gardener to match or contrast the flower colors.
Solenostemon ‘Apocalypse’ is an upright coleus plant that will grow 24” tall. The dark purple, velvet-looking scalloped leaves are trimmed in a Granny Smith green.
Solenostemon ’Inky Fingers’ grows up to 18” tall but with a meandering habit of weaving itself among neighboring plants. The leaves are only about one-inch long. This coleus is labeled fingered-leaf type because the leaves have larger lobed appendages. In some plant labeling, it has been called a duckfoot, however the leaves on that type of coleus are smaller. S. ‘Inky Fingers’ is easy to propagate by taking cuttings.
During the growing season coleus will shoot up stalks of flowers, some types of coleus more often than others. Gardeners will clip these stems off, as the blooms are boring compared with the dramatic foliage. Removing the flowers also encourages healthy growth and helps maintain a tidy garden.
Sunscape Daisy Flowering Plants
Osteospermum is commonly referred to as sunscape daisy. This flowering plant tolerates a full sun to part shade location. It is hardy only in zones 9 – 11, so most gardeners treat this plant as an annual. It is drought tolerant but regular fertilizing is suggested and does not respond well to excessive humidity.
Osteospermum Soprano® ‘Lilac Spoon’ blooms are made up of spoon-shaped petals on a 14” tall plant. The flowers are a combination of light and dark shades of purple. Osteospermum is a popular plant for their usual coloring such as the Osteospermum Symphony® Orange with its contrasting purple centers.
The spoon-shaped petals on sunscape daisies are known for reverting to the traditional petal shape when extreme warmth, particularly at night occurs. Gardeners have found that to hold the spoon shaped petals, Osteospermum needs a generally cooler climate. However, as nighttime temperature fall back to cooler levels the petals, developed after the temperature change, will again revert back to the spoon shape.
Sweet Potato Vines Fill Pots
Sweet potato vines are popular filler plants for pots and other garden sites. Ipomoea batatas is a foliage plant related to morning glories; it grows well in full sun or part shade.
The range of leaf shapes extend the heart shaped ‘Margarita’ to the deeply lobed ‘Blackie’ to the dramatically incised foliage of Ipomoea Illusion™, called ‘Emerald Lace’ and ‘Midnight Lace’ that creates a very different frilly appearance.
Gardeners who like lime green sweet potato vine may want to try it with Solenostemon ‘Religious Rutabaga.’ The bright green vine lights up the dark green, red and purple colors.
Coleus Plant Combinations
The variety of coleus plants available makes combining them with outdoor flowers in a garden easy. A gardener is bound to find, at least one he likes, for a container garden. Light plant pruning and appropriate amounts of water and fertilizer will encourage the coleus to flourish throughout the summer.
Permission received for all photos used in this article.
Chris Eirschele - Chris writes on plants grown and gardens explored; she is a member of the Garden Writers Association.
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