Coleus Gold Lace

Coleus scutellarioides

Characteristics

Culture

Coleus Gold Lace’s primary feature is the golden yellow leaves edged in burgundy.  Gold Lace Coleus plant produces foliage that emerges a brilliant yellowy-chartreuse, rimmed and veined in burgundy, then maturing to a mellow gold with very striking rich red midribs and veins! The effect on the eyes is a collage of color that is simply gorgeous and heart-warming. Shade tolerant.  The plant provides color spring to fall.  You can pinch off the flower spikes just as they are forming and redirect that energy back into leaf formation while helping create a more compact, thick form.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Hybrid cultivars of coleus are widely grown as ornamentals. An almost infinite number of leaf color combinations are available including most colors of the spectrum except true blue. Cultivars range in size from dwarf 6” tall plants to large mounded 3′ tall plants. Showy multi-colored leaves are generally ovate to oblong and toothed. Leaves frequently feature mixtures of colors in irregular patterns. Blue to white nettle-like flowers bloom in racemes in summer to early fall, but are not showy and tend to visually detract from the symmetry and attractiveness of the plants. The flowers are not a selling point for this plant as they are grown for their striking foliage, so pinching back the bloom spikes can maintain a more desirable appearance.   Flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies and occasionally hummingbirds and add a significant color punch to the plant in hues of blue, white or lavender. You can just leave them on and enjoy the pollinators, or remove the spikes take steps to encourage thicker growth and continued life in a greenhouse or cold frame.

Problems

Aphids and whiteflies are the primary problem pests.

Garden Uses

Great for baskets, containers, or borders.  Can be grown indoors with special care regarding light, humidity, fertilizer, water, and pinching.