I’ve seen all kinds of intriguing coleus cultivars for sale in the garden centers each spring, so last winter I decided it might be fun to sprout some of them from seed.
My hands-down favorite was ‘Kong Rose’:
It wasn’t a cheap experiment—many of the new coleus cultivars are pricey. I paid 42 cents per seed for ‘Kong Rose’, but thankfully I got 100% germination and the seedlings were very well-behaved.
‘Kong Rose’ grows 22 inches tall and prefers shade (filtered afternoon sun is okay) and moist soil. Three plants looked wonderful together in a 14-inch pot:
Like other coleus, ‘Kong Rose’ would probably be a tasty treat for slugs, but my pot was located in a dry area so I didn’t have any problems. The plants remained disease-free all summer long.
There are many more colors to choose from in the Kong series including ‘Kong Green’, ‘Kong Salmon Pink’ and ‘Kong Mosaic’. I’m sticking with ‘Kong Rose’ again next year, but I also plan to give ‘Kong Red’ a try.