The high bush of the Labial family bears the beautiful name of the coleus Blume. The plant is popular. It is often found on window sills and in gardens, and is widely used in landscape design.
Blume is not grown for the sake of flowers, but because of the variety of leaf colors. Unusual beauty of a combination of yellow with red, green with dark purple, salad with creamy white, amaze the imagination. When touched, velvet is felt. Among hybrids, the Rainbow mixture is the most sought after.
Description of Coleus Blume
Homeland shrubs tropical forests of Southeast Asia, Africa and Australia. Today, about 150 wild species are known, and even more hybrids. Every year, new bright varieties appear.
The stalk of the plant has a tetrahedral cut, while it remains quite fragile, after a while in the lower part stiffness begins. The branching starts from the base. The arrangement of the leaves is pairwise, crosswise. They are a bush decoration, velvety to the touch. Depending on the variety, it stands out with a variety of colors. The similarity of coleus and nettle is noticeable even to a layman, but the magic of colors turns a typical weed into the queen of the garden.
Blume blooms with a complex spike; the inflorescence is located on the crown and lateral shoots. The flowers themselves are so unsightly in comparison with greens that they are simply carefully removed so as not to weaken the plant, they are left only in cases where they plan to get seed material.
Mostly grown mixtures, the usual botanical look is too large (3 meters). Coleus hybrid is much more interesting, brighter. Its height is up to a meter, the trunk does not turn stiff, excluding falling leaves.
Varieties of Coleus Blume
Among the varieties bred artificially, the following are most known and in demand.
Rainbow Series Hybrids:
Grade | Sheet color |
| Wizard | There are different shades and blends. |
| Orange | Lemon border with an orange center. |
| Evening dawn | A green outline surrounds a deep red leaf. |
| Black dragon | The brown-purple leaf is dissected by scarlet veins. |
| Fun | Different shades and combinations. |
Wizard Series Hybrids:
Grade | Sheet color |
| Scarlet | Light green border with a burgundy middle. |
| Mosaic | Maroon spots on a green leaf. |
| Jade | Yellow center with a green border. |
| Coral | The mid-color coral is framed by a brown-green outline. |
| Magic jade | Light green with a white core. |
| Velveteen | A dark red sheet borders a light strip, a carved contour. |
| Golden | Yellow saturated shades. |
| Scarlet | Red with lemon rim. |
| Sunset | Orange with a light edging sheet. |
Planting and caring for Coleus Blume
Regardless of the variety, the plant loves warm and well-lit areas. The brighter the light, the more beautiful and juicier the color. You can plant it in shaded places, but then you should not rely on the fact that the shades will be saturated. The color will not disappear, but it will look pale.
Watering in the hot period should be plentiful, spraying leaves is not recommended. In winter and autumn, hydration is reduced.
When planting, it is permissible to use a universal soil mixture, but you can do it yourself. They mix garden soil, peat, sand and humus in equal amounts.
Reproduction of Coleus Blume
The plant does not present difficulties in breeding. In order to get young, produce cuttings. To root faster, a cut is done in the middle of the internode. Take the side shoot of the parent and put it in the water. As soon as the roots appear, the sprout is transplanted into the ground.
Some gardeners immediately plant the cuttings in the ground; no problems with this method of propagation have been noted.
Reproduction by seeds does not require preparation, there is no need to prepare seedlings. Coleus gives good shoots in the earth warmed by the spring sun.
Diseases and Pests
Coleus is not susceptible to disease, good immunity saves him from most ailments. In the summer, plants on flower beds need to be watered daily, since when they dry up, they quickly lose their decorative qualities.
Due to the need for frequent watering, it is prone to powdery mildew. Fungal disease is treated with fungicides of a general spectrum of action. Before treatment, it is recommended to remove the affected leaves and flowers.
The plant loves whiteflies. To get rid of them, they conduct complex treatment with insecticides with an interval of 3-4 days. Each time they recommend changing the drug, excluding the addiction of insects to poison.
Mr. Dachnik informs: the use of Coleus Blume and its psychotropic properties
Native South Mexicans claim that the leaves of the bush have a mild relaxing and hallucinogenic effect. Modern science has not proved this fact, the psychoactivity of the plant has not been fully studied.
There are cases when people felt some changes in consciousness after chewing leaves and making tea. Nevertheless, there is no reliable information to date.
