"Under The Sea" - At Last

Finally, the 'Under the Sea' collection of coleus and I have "arrived" at the same moment in time --  they reached their full size and I found the opportunity to photograph them.  There are greats and not so greats in this collection, at least in my humble opinion.  I'll set out photos of each though and let you decide for yourself which ones have "wow" factor.  Better yet, you ought to stop by the Welcome Center garden and check them out.  They are scattered about in the beds so you'll also have fun finding them.

Seven varieties are growing in the garden but I thought I'd share the "red" group with you today and save the green/burgundy group for tomorrow.  You gotta love the names even if you don't love the leaves.

Under the Sea 'Bone Fish'

I think this is my favorite just because it is so cute and little that it almost looks like a sea creature. 

The colors are very bright and distinct so I think they will coordinate easily with other colors and textures. 

The full plant  makes a bold statement in the garden.  A comparison of the leaf size can be seen next to the rose leaves above.

Under the Sea 'Molten Coral'     -   This one seems to morph from oranges to pinks so you will get some options when pairing it.   Leaves are small but the color is big.

In this lighting the pink coloration is more pronounced.  As busy as this one is, I'd pair it with solid colored plants - something with lime green and big leaves.  The Wasabi coleus would work well or lime colored heucheras. 

Under the Sea 'Red Coral' 

It's pretty hard to see any "red" in this one but I'm think that may be because it is in heavy shade.  There is a lot of lime showing up along with the burgundy, but for the most part it is a dark colored plant.  Keep this in mind when you are pairing it.

If nothing else Red Coral has some very interesting leaf shapes.  This is another very busy plant and will need large, smooth leaves around it to set it off.  Where it sits in the Welcome Center garden causes it to be lost in the crowd.

The last one with some red/pink coloration is 'Hermit Crab'.  This is another very busy leaf that needs to be carefully matched, but that can probably be said of all coleus in the Under the Sea collection.  I've been complaining that coleus in general have become ordinary and monochromatic.  Guess I should be careful what I ask for -- this group is "over the top" in color and leaf shape. 

Under the Sea 'Hermit Crab'  -  this one really does look like a crab - well, maybe a kalidescope crab.  Unlike a mother, who loves all her children equally, this is not one of my favorites, mainly because it is so busy that it is hard to focus on any one aspect of it.  And I can't easily see what to pair it with.  Wherever you put it, it will have to be the star of the show so I suggest putting a number of them together to make an impact and just provide a solid color background. 

That's it for today's show.  I'll be back tomorrow with the rest of the team.