Solenostemon Mesmerize​ Chocolate Rose

Coleus Mesmerize Chocolate Rose is a non-hardy perennial plant that can be grown as an indoor plant or as an annual in your borders and containers. This variety is spectacular due to its unique foliage: dark purple, marked with bright pink and edged with light green. It will bring colour and uniqueness to your composition. Sow it in spring. It is an easy plant that enjoys moist soil and bright, but not scorching, exposure.

From the Lamiaceae family, like nettle and basil, Coleus, also known as Solenostemon or Plectranthus, are tender shrubby perennials, native to Asia and tropical Africa. They are mainly grown for their decorative foliage, but they also have spike-like flowering during the summer. Their small bilabiate flowers with elongated lower lip are typical of the Lamiaceae family. The flowers are usually removed as soon as they appear to prevent the plants from exhausting themselves in seed production and to maintain generous foliage.

Coleus Mesmerize Chocolate Rose forms a clump of about 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20in) in all directions in one season. It is mainly its leaves, ovate and velvety in texture, that attract all the attention. The lamina is dark purple, the central vein is strongly marked with bright pink, and the leaf margin is apple green. It's a true festival of colours!

In the garden, place it at the edge of a border or in a beautiful container. Avoid scorching sun that can damage its leaves. They are the stars of mosaic gardening, very popular in parks and public gardens. Pair it with Begonia double Marmorata, with its bicoloured pink and white flowers, or with ferns for a more lush ambiance, such as Polypodium vulgare, with its more neutral green foliage.