Coleus are no longer your grandmother's parlor plants. Favorites during the Victorian period, they have made a dramatic comeback. It's easy to see why: no other plant offers such a dazzling variety of leaf colors, shapes, and patterns, and no other plant is so easy to grow and propagate. Given a modicum of care, coleus will flourish from spring until frost. Although older varieties performed best in shady situations, newer ones have been selected for sun tolerance, making it possible to grow coleus in every part of the garden. With their sumptuous colors and tough constitution, coleus are ideal both as attention-getting focal points and as complements to other foliage or flowering plants. As happy in a container as in open ground, they are the ultimate in versatility, their uses as unlimited as your imagination.

Whether you're a weekend gardener in search of easy, reliable color, or an enthusiast who wants to collect every colues available, this exciting and comprehensive resource will give you exactly what you're looking for—and more. Expert plantsman Ray Rogers offers equal parts inspiration and practical advice, with history, plant characteristics, problem solving, propagation, and designing with coleus in both containers and in the garden, all brought to life by Richard Hartlage's masterful photographs. An encyclopedia covers more than 225 varieties.

These are not your grandmother's coleus!

Favorite foliage plants during the Victorian period, coleus have made a dramatic comeback in recent years. It's easy to see why: no other plant offers such a dazzling variety of leaf colors, shapes, and patterns. Colors range from deep, velvety crimsons and purples to gentle pinks; from screaming oranges and scarlets to delicate creams and yellow-greens. Individual leaves may be solid or veined, flecked, or bordered with contrasting colors. They can even display riotous, harlequin mixtures of every color imaginable. Coupled with this cornucopia of choices is the delightful fact that no other plant is so easy to grow and propagate.

With their sumptuous colors and tough constitutions, coleus are ideal both as attention-getting focal points and as complements to other foliage or flowering plants. As happy in a container as in open ground, they are the ultimate in versatility, their uses as unlimited as your imagination. Whether you're a weekend gardener in search of an easy, reliable color, or an enthusiast who wants to collect every coleus available, you'll find exactly what you're looking for—and more—in this exciting and comprehensive new book.

Lifelong gardener Ray Rogers is a garden editor and writer, working on more than 40 garden titles. He has written for The American Gardener magazine, Green Scene, and American Cottage Gardening and is coauthor of The Philadelphia Flower Show: Celebrating 175 Years. Ray has appeared on a variety of radio and TV programs, including Martha Stewart Living, and has taught in the George Washington University Horticulture Program. Currently a consultant for a specialty nursery, he continues to pursue his horticultural interests as a home gardener, as an amateur hybridizer of Hippeastrum (amaryllis), and as an award-winning horticultural exhibitor. He lives in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Publisher: Timber Press
Distributor: Barnes and Noble
Publication Date: 02-15-2008
Pages: 227
Measurements: 9.25in X 8.34in X .86in X 1.14lb