Throughout the year, the variety of colors, shapes, and scents on the Perry Wellness Center campus change with the seasons – particularly when it comes to growing plants. At this time of year, we salute the popular coleus plant, recently featured in a colorful display in the southern parking lot of Rudy’s Happy Patch Market.

“I have been told that we now have five color varieties of coleus in our displays,” says PWC founder and CEO Stuart Perry. “When I helped my late dad and my mother with our small greenhouse gardens in Buena Vista, I can only recall two color mixes.”

A few facts about growing coleus plants: They grow best in partial to full shade, in rich, loose soil that is kept moist. To keep plants from growing “leggy,” pinch off the flowers at their base, and growth will be concentrated in the leaves instead. Broken stems can be replanted after removing the leaves on the bottom half. Coleus plants can also be grown indoors, but keep them away from pets, because they can be toxic to them.