coleus

noun co·le·us \ ˈkō-lē-əs \

|Updated on: 24 Jun 2018

Definition of coleus

: any of a large genus (Coleus) of Old World herbs of the mint family including ones cultivated for their colorful foliage

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Recent Examples of coleus from the Web

As for houseplants, Emmons recommends any type of ivy (English ivy is his favorite), philodendron, wandering Jew, purple passion, and coleus.

— emily main, Good Housekeeping, "How To Grow Thriving Houseplants In Water," 23 June 2017
Leafy tropicals and other foliage plants including begonias, caladiums, coleus, cannas, ferns, dracaenas and philodendrons can be used for dramatic effect in the shade container.

— adrian higgins, sacbee, "Container culture – these pots do lots | The Sacramento Bee," 11 May 2018
The appeal of coleus comes from the color of its foliage: lots of variation of maroon, green and golden including patterns on the leaves.

— calvin finch, San Antonio Express-News, "What to plant now for serious garden color," 30 Mar. 2018
Now is a good time to plant warm-season bedding plants, including pentas, begonia, blue daze, coleus, caladium, lantana, torenia and angelonia, that will provide colorful flowers until the end of summer.

— contributing writer, NOLA.com, "7 gifts for those whose homes have too much stuff," 26 Mar. 2018
Silver falls’ is a wonderful pot spiller and annual coleus adds great color in the garden, too.

— OregonLive.com, "Geeking out with the gardener behind Plant Nerd Night," 14 Feb. 2018
Another group of plants that has been severely damaged or killed are tender perennial summer bedding plants, such as impatiens, wax begonias, pentas, blue daze, scaevola, periwinkle and coleus.

— NOLA.com, "Don't prune freeze-damaged plants just yet: 5 tips for recovering your garden," 6 Jan. 2018
A: A lot of rain and a little fertilizer pop out the growth of the coleus.

— tom maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "To head off moths, try pruning first," 26 Aug. 2017
Lightly trimming back a plant, such as a coleus, hibiscus or impatiens, every now and then will keep it more compact and bushy.

— dan gill, NOLA.com, "How to control vines, shrubs and spreading plants: Dan Gill's mailbag," 12 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coleus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.