Back to the "Sea" Collection

I'm back with the rest of the story about the Under the Sea collection of coleus.  Since writing about the red/pink portion of the collection I stopped by the Welcome Center garden and it is amazing what a good dose of rain will do for plants -- the coleus have added several inches to their size and are looking lush and healthy.

I'm really liking Lime Shrimp more each time I see it.  Its placement in the garden doesn't do it justice and I'd like to see it in a mixed container and maybe a little more sun.

Lime Shrimp has enough coloration in it to make it interesting on its own but not so much that it would be a chore to work with it.  The dark purple edges of the scalloped leaves are really striking and busy enough that a large, smooth edged leaf companion would be called for.  The shape is right for this Gingerland caladium but the rose-red dots may not be a good compliment to the purple in Lime Shrimp.  A trip to the nursery with the coleus in hand may be called for to get the right combination.

In the Welcome Center garden it is positioned next to a heuchera with some purple undetones but neither plant is benefited by that pairing.  In my defense, that was the only space open to trial this critter from the Sea collection.



Langostino is another sea critter that I'm liking a lot.  Its colors are going to be easy to work with and it seems to be happy with some direct afternoon sun.  The leaves are large enough to make a statement but not overwhelm a grouping -- and the bright limey/yellow green on the edges will coordinate really well with a lot of other plants. 

And last but not least is Sea Scallop....what can I say about it....it is a little ordinary in my opinion.  Looks a lot like so many other coleus with scalloped leaves and spots.  Can you tell it isn't on my buy list.  It fills a space and adds color so there may be opportunities for it.  I'll be open minded and see what it does the rest of the season.

And just a reminder here for all of you who do have coleus in your garden or containers.  They are sending out their flowers so unless you just love those cute spikes of colors, cut them off so the plant won't waste energy on making seeds and decide it is time to stop making pretty leaves.