30 Best Coleus Varieties to Grow | Different Types of Coleus Plants

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Learn about the Best Types of Coleus Varieties and add a dash of bold contrast to your home and garden with these dramatic foliage plants!

Coleus is an ornamental plant from the Lamiaceae family with variegated, colorful, and patterned leaves that can liven up any shady areas of your home and garden! Read more about the best coleus varieties in the below article to pick the best one for yourself!

Check out our article on different varieties of Orchids here


Best Types of Coleus Varieties

1. Stained Glassworks Kiwi Fern

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Height/Spread: 12-24 inches tall, 18 inches spread

Color: Yellow-pink edges with burgundy leaves

Kiwi fern is low maintenance coleus that brings delicate and fine texture to any garden. This colorful coleus variety prefers a warm climate, partial shade, and well-draining soil.

2. Rustic Orange

Height/Spread: 18-24 inches tall, 15-18 inches spread

Color: Orange

The vibrant orange foliage of Solenostemon ‘Rustic Orange’ is ideal for borders or garden beds. Use the warm color of this beautiful coleus variety to brighten up your garden or interior space!

3. Fishnet Stockings

Best Coleus Varieties 2

Height/Spread: 24-36 inches tall, 12-16 inches spread

Color: Lime green and burgundy

The upright, tall ‘Fishnet stockings’ have burgundy veins on lime green leaves, giving it a stunning appearance! Place the plant in part sun and water regularly in the dry season.

4. Wizard Mix

Height/Spread: 8-10 inches tall, 10-14 inches spread

Color: Chartreuse, pink, and red

Add colors to the shady beds and dark corners of your home with the impressive beauty of the ‘Wizard mix.’ The large, heart-shaped leaves prefer moist soil and full shade to part sun to maintain the glory of their color!

5. Henna

Height/Spread: 14-28 inches tall, 14-16 inches spread

Color: Copper and chartreuse with burgundy undersides

The award-winning ‘Henna’ variety offers frilly-edged chartreuse leaves with burgundy to magenta edges. Grow them in full sun to partial shade for vibrant foliage colors.

6. Trailing Plum

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Height/Spread: 10-12 inches tall, 18-24 inches spread

Color: Neon pink

The dramatic foliage of ‘Trailing plum’ is sun-loving. Also, it is one of the best types of coleus that cascade down! Grow them in rich, moist, and well-draining soil.

7. Black Dragon

Best Coleus Varieties 8

Height/Spread: 12-14 inches tall, 10-12 inches spread

Color: Deep burgundy with purple-black edges

Add a charismatic look to your garden by growing a ‘Black Dragon.’ It boasts a volcano, lava-like striking foliage that thrives well in full to partial shade, making it one of the best coleus varieties to grow!

8. Limelight

Height/Spread: 12-16 inches tall, 12-15 inches spread

Color: Chartreuse

‘Limelight’ is one of the Giant Exhibition coleus series! The bright, neon lime-green leaves is best for containers and gardens. Thanks to its stunning foliage, it goes well with every color!

9. Picture Perfect Salmon Pink

Height/Spread: 30 inches tall with the same spread

Color: Green undersides with burgundy-salmon and pink variegated leaves

The pastel-toned leaves of ‘Picture perfect salmon pink’ look artistically hand-painted. You can grow this masterpiece on the borders of your garden and in pots in full to partial shade.

10. Big Red Judy

Height/Spread: 24-40 inches tall, 18-36 inches spread

Color: Red

Pair the red leaves of ‘Big Red Judy’ with ornamental grasses or other plants! The large and upright, velvety leaves grow well in full sun to full shade. You can use them as a thriller in containers or as an edging plant as well.

11. Super-Fine Rainbow Festive Dance

 

Height/Spread: 12-15 inches tall, 10-14 inches spread

Color: Chocolate brown

The rich, chocolate-brown, or bronze leaves of this beautiful coleus variety have a fiery orange center and green edges. You can grow this attractive plant in containers or garden beds, both!

12. Kong Lime SpriteburHeight/Spread: 20-24 inches tall, 15-18 inches spread

Color: Lime green and mahogany leaves

The beautiful lime green leaves with a mahogany red splash in the center make it one of the best coleus varieties to grow! The plant can brighten up any interior or garden with its lively colors. It prefers shade, as the leaves can burn in the direct, hot sun.

13. Premium Sun Chocolate Covered Cherry

Height/Spread: 12-18 inches

Color: Mahogany, red, and green

The bold leaves of this coleus have a deep mahogany hue with a rose center and thin green margins. Plant it on borders or containers in full sun.

14. Wizard Jade

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Height/Spread: 12-14 inches

Color: Vibrant green

‘Wizard Jade’ offers ivory leaves patterned in wide green edges. This bushy, compact plant prefers filtered shade and moist soil.

15. Wizard Velvet Red

Height/Spread: 12-14 inches

Color: Red

The deep red velvety foliage with green ribbon on the edges looks magnificent on shaded borders or pots. You can grow it indoors as well on a sunny windowsill.

16. Wizard Coral Sunrise

Height/Spread: 12-14 inches

Color: Salmon Pink and Olive Green

This pretty coleus offer toothed leaves with salmon pink centers. The edges are olive green and bright green. It can tolerate sun, humidity, and heat.

17. Superfine Rainbow Masterblend Mix

Height/Spread: 12-15 inches

Color: Multicolored

This colorful variety shows off a fusion of many shades together. It is a robust and bushier cultivar that looks great on beds and borders.

18. Superfine Rainbow Festive Dance

Height/Spread: 12-15 inches

Color: Chocolate-brown or bronze leaves

This variety features rich chocolate brown or bronze foliage with an orange center and gray-green margins.

19. Giant Exhibition Magma Coleus

Height/Spread: 16-20 inches

Color: Purple-red leaves

‘Magma’ produces molten purple-red foliage embellished with green edges. Grow it under filtered or afternoon shade in moist soil.

20. Giant Exhibition Rustic Red Coleus

Height/Spread: 18-20 inches

Color: Rusty red

This showy coleus offers rusty-red foliage with yellow margins. It prefers filtered or afternoon shade and moist soil.

21. Giant Exhibition Palisandra

Height/Spread: 16-20 inches

Color: Deep purple-black leaves

It boasts huge velvety leaves in a deep purple-black hue. This vigorous grower favors afternoon or filtered shade and moist soil.

22. Premium Sun Crimson Gold

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Height/Spread: 18-20 inches tall

Color: Crimson gold

The crimson leaves are adorned in a lovely ribbon of gold is one of the best coleus varieties. It has won Dallas Arboretum’s ‘Flameproof’ award (flourishes in Texas heat).

23. Premium Sun Dark Chocolate

Height/Spread: 24-30 inches

Color: Mahogany brown

This gorgeous coleus cultivar from the premium series produces rich mahogany brow shaded leaves. If grown in full sun, the leaves will reflect burgundy tones on leaves.

24. Premium Sun Watermelon

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Height/Spread: 16-20 inches

Color: Pink, Cream, Lime-green

This annual has beautiful pink leaves with cream highlights and lime green edges. It does well in filtered or partial sun and moist soil.

25. Premium Sun Pineapple Surprise

Height/Spread: 20-28 inches

Color: burgundy, chartreuse, green

‘Premium Sun Pineapple Surprise’ showcases patterned multi-hued leaves in the colors of green, burgundy, and chartreuse. It can tolerate full sun or filtered shade.

26. Kong Rose Coleus

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Height/Spread: 20-24 inches

Color: Rose hue with green edges

This well-branched, fast-growing beautiful coleus features large leaves with a rose-hued center and wide green margins. It favors shade as direct sunlight can burn the foliage.

27. Fairway Yellow

Height/Spread: 8-10 inches

Color: Chartreuse and soft yellow

The chartreuse leaves veined in a soft-yellow shade of this dwarf coleus look adorable in gardens with contrasting blooms. It looks perfect in containers, beds, and hanging baskets.

28. Fairway Orange Coleus

Height/Spread: 8-10 inches

Color: Apricot orange, magenta, and chartreuse

This ornamental variety showcases apricot-orange leaves with serrated chartreuse edges veined in a magenta hue. It prefers filtered shade and moist soil.

29. Fairway Mosaic Coleus

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Height/Spread: 8-10 inches

Color: Yellow-green, red strips

‘Fairway Mosaic’ features Arlequin-style foliage in distinct patterns with a blend of yellow-green and red streaks. This coleus variety is widely grown in warm and cold climates.

30. Rainbow Mix Improved

Height/Spread: 15-20 inches tall

Color: Multicolored

This medium-sized coleus offers velvety leaves in many shades of bronze, chartreuse, magenta, gold, red, gold, and green.

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5 COMMENTS

  1. Woww!! Treasures to our World
    Coleus are in a class of their own. My first time here. Looking forward to coming here often. Thanks for great posts

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