Saturday 5 April 2008

Coleus/Solenostemon

Saturday, 7am, a singing sky garlanded by swags of clouds!




This bright Cattleya orchid greeted me this morning.





Festive colours and lace for Coleus!


Self seeded Coleus.



This orchid Aliceara, Carmela flowers since a couple of weeks.





Self seeded Coleus.





My camera caught this tiny feather on a Comfrey leaf in the herb garden.








Interesting and pretty patterns each one is different on self seeded Coleus.



Solenostemon is a genus of perennial plants, native to tropical Africa, Asia, Australia, the East Indies, the Malay Archipelago, and the Philippines. They are commonly known as Coleus, a name which derives from an earlier classification under the genus name Coleus, species of which are currently included in either Solenostemon or another genus, Plectranthus.
Many cultivars of the southeast Asian species Solenostemon scutellarioides have been selected for their colorful variegated leaves, typically with sharp contrast between the colors; the leaves may be green, pink, yellow, maroon, and red (somewhat resembling the unrelated caladium). The plants grow well in moist well-drained soil, and typically grow 0.5-1 m tall, though some may grow as tall as 2 meters. Coleus are typically grown as ornamental plants. They are heat-tolerant, though they do less well in full sun in subtropical areas than in the shade. In cultivation in temperate areas, they are often grown as annuals as they are not hardy and become leggy and unattractive with age. In bright hot areas, the colors of the plant will typically be more intense in shaded areas than in full sun, and the plants will require less water there. Coleus also make low-maintenance houseplants, and can often be propagated by clipping a length of stem just below the leaves and putting the stem in water to root. The plant's flowers grow on a stem above that stem's leaves, and tend to be purple and quite small in comparison to the leaves. The plant is not generally grown for its flowers.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
Division:
Magnoliophyta
Class:
Magnoliopsida
Order:
Lamiales
Family:
Lamiaceae
Genus:
Solenostemon
Wikipedia
Believe it or not:
Woman has no seductions for the man who can not keep his eyes off his magnolias! Anonymous

6 comments:

Kerri said...

Your orchids and coleus are such lovely, vibrant colors. I haven't tried growing orchids yet, but would like to. Mum had tiny little orchids growing in the forks of her ghost gums in the back yard, and larger orchids in pots.
The feather is so sweet :)
Have you had any rain lately? You certainly have beautiful blue skies!

Meems said...

Very nice coleus. I do love all the variations in hues and depth of color not to mention what easy growers they are in this climate. I just resisted buying more of them when at the nursery on this week. Your ordhids are wonderful too.
Meems @Hoe&Shovel

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Kerri, thank you, yes, with your green thumbs you should try some orchids. Today, sunday, we had a little rain on and off,and it is getting cooler too.

Thank you for your comment Meems, yes I like the easy growers. We have similiar climates. I wouldn't mind to get some new colours, but I haven't seen any in the nurseries here.

Katarina said...

Hi,
I just found your very nice blog through Blotanical. I have enjoyed reading your latest posts very much!
/Katarina (Sweden)

Anonymous said...

Hi Katarina,thank you for your kind words.I had a stroll in your garden.Your photos are very,very beautiful, so clear. I love the Hellebores, Camelia and especially the blue sky and icicle with the drop of water, what a moment! I will come back into your garden. My Swedish is = nil! I will enjoy the pictures.

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Katarina I have found your "english garden" too.