Solenostemon scutellarioides, is my latest addiction and the latin name for our old garden friend the coleus. Now I pride myself on learning the latin names for my plants and there are some that I know the latin name and forget the common one, but this name is a challenge, I think I will stick with coleus! My addiction started earlier this spring when my mom, aunt and I went to a local nursery on Mother’s Day. Its been a long tradition to buy each other a little gift on Mother’s Day, mine in appreciation for her being an amazing mother, and her’s because she sees me as ‘The Mother of my Garden’, sorry no grandbabies here, just plant babies! At the garden centre she picks out a piece for her ferry garden and I pick out a tomato. I can see by the look on her face she thought the tomato was boring so I scanned around and way off on the other side of the store was this bright red, pink and green plant. We made a bee-line for it, I picked up the pot and said “what the heck is this, its so weird looking”, I red the tag and it was a coleus! I was very impressed to see they were available in so many different colour combinations and leaf variations, I was hooked! Poor coleus, before that day I had never grown it, not once in my 18 years of gardening. I poo pooed them because they were annuals, but for a hit of colour they are an amazing and very showy addition to my garden. That day I brought home two coleus and two tomatoes, then a few weeks later I went to Home Depot for paint, while there of course I bought variety pack of different coleus for my blue pot. Then at Canadian Tire I found another one, different from all the others. I went from no coleus to lots with names like ‘Sky Fire’, ‘Limon Blush’, ‘Colorblaze Lime Time’ and ‘Freckles’, who wouldn’t want a plant named Freckles in the garden? Apparently you can take cuttings from coleus and make plant babies for next spring, I think my addiction to Solenostemon scutellarioides is here to stay!
The tomatoes, not to be outdone, are just starting to ripen
Pinkie’s Up!