Overwinter Coleus?

Question

I have acquired an EXTENSIVE Coleus collection this year, and want to take cuttings and overwinter them as they are not hardy in my area. I also have some other annuals I will be saving cuttings from - alternathera, nemesia, lamium, as well as a few others. My question is this, what type of set up will I need? I just want to keep them alive until spring, no need for blooming or bringing out colors, I just need to know lighting requirements, watering, humidity, air circulation, ect. I live in zone 5 and will be keeping them in an upstairs bedroom. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

Just put them in a north facing window...there will be plenty of light to let them grow fine. keep them damp, but not soggy. good luck (you can take cuttings from these plants to save them...you do not need the entire plant.)

Answer 2

Coleus are a snap to propagate from cuttings and overwinter. The easiest thing to do is snip Coleus stems, remove a couple of leaf nodes from the lower part of the stem, and put them in a glass of water in a pretty much shaded window sill until they root, which should not take more than a week or so. Pot them in four inch pots and pinch them back mercilessly. The best time to take Coleus cuttings is in early summer to get a good size going before fall. There is always going to be a percentage of loss over the winter, but you will have taken PLENTY of starts to cover those losses. Keep your coleus in the sunniest spot in the house during the winter.

In this way you will be able to have a variety of sizes ranging from starts to large shrubs at all times... You will always have gifts for your friends.

I do not know anything about propagating the other plants you mention from cuttings, but in my book it is always worthwhile to give cuttings a shot. What do you have to lose?

...Funny aside: once my son decided that the Lamium used as ground cover in a shaded area was too wild and rangy, so he ran over it with the lawn mower when he was clipping the lawn. This had the effect of creating a hundred million neat little cuttings, every one of which took. Ye Gods....we moved. We still laugh about it to this day.