Coleus Colocha Mix seeds - Solenostemon scutellarioides

The Coleus Colocha Mix is a seed assortment of coleus that allows you to grow a palette of original, frilled foliage from a single packet. From the Colocha series, this mix notably combines the Rose and Scarlet varieties, with finely cut, crinkled leaves edged with light green, in intense shades of pink, red and purple. They form attractive clumps in pots, planters and part-shade borders. This frost-tender coleus can be grown as an annual in the garden, or as a houseplant.

'Colocha Mix' belongs to the species Coleus scutellarioides, of the Lamiaceae family. This species was known for a long time as Plectranthus scutellarioides or Solenostemon scutellarioides. It is a perennial often grown as an annual in temperate climates. It is native to the humid forests of South-East Asia, particularly Java, and grows spontaneously from India and Indochina to Papua New Guinea and northern Australia, in open, warm, very humid woodland.

'Colocha' is a series of cultivars developed by the Czech breeder Černý Seed. The plants are well branched, reaching 45 to 50cm in height and about 35cm in width. The 'Colocha Mix' blend includes the varieties 'Colocha Rose' and 'Colocha Scarlet'. Compared with classic forms of coleus, the 'Colocha' varieties stand out for their smaller, deeply cut leaves with crinkled, "frilly" edges, very soft to the touch, as well as for their late flowering. Their leaves resemble small oak leaves, with a finely fringed margin. They come in shades of red, raspberry pink or intense purple, darker in the centre, edged with lemon green or bright green. This pigmentation remains very vivid in part shade, but may fade in full sun. The nectar-rich flowers are of particular interest to pollinating insects, but it is advisable to remove them to concentrate the plant's energy on the foliage.

Coleus 'Colocha Mix' adds texture and colour to shade or part-shade settings. Plant it along path edges, in colourful patches at the base of shrubs, or in large pots on a terrace sheltered from the wind. This mix pairs well with Heuchera 'Midnight Rose', with its large, dark purple leaves speckled with pink, and Begonia 'Dragon Wing Red', which bears clusters of bright red flowers above the frilled foliage. A blue hosta, 'Halcyon', will create a beautiful contrast in texture and colour. On a shaded balcony, you can pair Coleus 'Colocha Mix' with a few pale-flowered Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana double salmon, Impatiens SunPatiens Vigorous White Variegated), to brighten this spectacular foliage even further.