Solenostemon scutellaroides 'Wizard Mix' in the garden

I managed to kill some of my coleus seedlings by putting them out too early, but these ones planted on the south side of the house survived. This white and green variety is my favourite... ... but the chartreuse variety seems to be more vigorous.

Of the plants that were still in flats on the north side of the house, the red ones survived the frost the best; all of the green with purple stripes succumbed. Then slugs or something started eating the survivors; a lot of them are still alive, but they are too ugly to photograph and post here.

Solenostemon scutellaroides 'Wizard Mix': foliage

Wow! Six weeks after sowing, the colours on the coleus seedlings are really popping! My favourite is the white with green edge ('Wizard Jade'); I wish I had ordered another seed packet just of this variety.

Solenostemon scutellaroides 'Wizard Mix': seedlings

What a difference in just a week or two! (See earlier photo of baby seedlings.) So much bigger, and the colours are getting more and more distinct. I have 45 coleus seedlings now. I find it interesting that the seedlings with pink and green leaves are by far the most vigorous; I would have expected the mostly green-leaved plants to have the edge. It seems to me that the seeds started in starter mix (Home Gardener Organic Starter Mix, to be precise) are growing faster than those started in peat pellets.

Solenostemon scutellaroides 'Wizard Mix' seedlings

Two weeks after sowing, the coleus seedlings are starting to develop their different colours.

Solenostemon scutellaroides 'Wizard Mix': sprouts

Solenostemon scutellaroides, known in English as "coleus" and in French as coléus or coliole, is a tender perennial native to southeast Asia widely grown for its colourful foliage. Cultivars are available with various patterns of white, pink, red, yellow, brown, black, and green leaves.

Here are my coleuses (colei?) a week after sowing. They're too small to be showing their colours yet.

Solenostemon scutellaroides 'Wizard Mix': seeds

Solenostemon scutellaroides, known in English as "coleus" and in French as coléus or coliole, is a tender perennial native to southeast Asia widely grown for its colourful foliage. Cultivars are available with various patterns of white, pink, red, yellow, brown, black, and green leaves.

I last grew coleus back when I was in high school, from seed. It was a lot of fun since the seedlings show their colours from an early stage. (Of course, back then I actually had big windows with lots of sunlight streaming in, and this time around I'm in a dingy basement apartment with fluorescent light...) I'm hoping these babies will liven up the drab shady front yard this summer.