Solenostemon Copinto Daiquiri

The Coleus Copinto Daiquiri is a variety of Plectranthus with foliage as exotic as the cocktail of the same name. Its dark red leaves washed with brown are edged with lime green. Of medium vigor, this variety has an upright habit and a neat appearance. Frost-tender, Coleus can be grown as indoor plants or in the garden as annuals to decorate balconies and terraces. They also make particularly decorative plants in seasonal compositions and contemporary designs. Their exotic charm has a great effect and they require little maintenance, in semi-shade and in moist soil

Coleus, also known as Solenostemon and recently renamed Plectranthus, are plants related to Basil and nettle. They belong to the mint family, as evidenced by their small bilabiate flowers with elongated lower lip, their fleshy square stems, and their toothed and velvety leaves on the underside. This genus includes about sixty species of tender shrubby perennials, native to Asia and tropical Africa. Horticulture has given rise to numerous hybrids and cultivars, including many descendants of Solenostemon scutellarioides.

The Coleus 'Copinto Daiquiri' forms an upright, dense, and rounded clump, reaching about 40 cm (16in) in all directions in one season. The medium-sized leaves are triangular in shape, edged with small rounded teeth and slightly hairy. Their lamina is a dark red mixed with brown, with a fine border of light yellow-green. The flowering, late and sporadic in this selection, is discreet. It sometimes occurs at the end of the season, in the form of small pale mauve-blue flowers. It is often recommended to remove these flowers so that the plants do not exhaust themselves producing seeds and maintain a generous foliage.

Coleus, sometimes called 'painted nettles' because of their incredibly diverse foliage, are irreplaceable for adding a beautiful exotic touch to any decor in the garden as well as in the house, where they can live for several years. They prefer a semi-shaded exposure, which can be found at the edge of a tall perennial bed or shrubs, or in a cool rockery, exposed to the north or east, away from the burning rays of the sun. They allow for the creation of small massifs in mosaic of colours and pair well with begonias in flower pots. The richness of their colours makes them somewhat difficult to associate; small ferns like Polypodium or purple misère (Tradescantia pallida) will be good companions for the Coleus Copinto Daiquiri. They also go particularly well with begonias in flower pots.

Note: Attention, our young plug plants are professional products reserved for experienced gardeners: upon receipt, transplant and store them under shelter (veranda, greenhouse, cold frame) at a temperature above 14C° for a few weeks before being planted outside once the risk of frost has definitively passed.