Garden bloggers love to share pleasing photos of beds or containers they've created or seen and wax poetic on the attributes of this plant or that. Gardens are supposed to be beautiful … well, duh … so why wouldn't bloggers flock to their computers to post their best, most spectacular photos and plant wisdom?
Like many gardeners, I have a number of plants that thrive outside during warm-weather months but, to survive year-round, must spend cold-weather months inside. When Connecticut temperatures begin to fall into the low 50's –high 40's – usually during September – I scramble to find indoor spaces for pots of tender vegetation.
With just half an inch registering on the rain gauge in the last few weeks and minimal watering on this gardener's part, it's a wonder of nature that so many plants are still attractive. Connecticut is officially about 5.5 inches below normal rainfall amounts for the year.
My August 2010 gardens are parched in spite of regular watering. Still, on this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day there's color to be found in my south central Connecticut gardens.
Coleus, dressed in orangey reds, or deep maroons and bright greens, or solid limey green; any way you look at this group of plants you must admit they are foliage fashionistas There are varieties for sun, shade, and anything in between. Some are tall, others short, and the amazing range of colors from the ever increasing varieties allows just about anyone to use them in gardens and containers – I do both. Coleus are easy to start from cuttings or seed – I do both. Plus, they make good houseplants for all the northern gardeners – like me – who crave color during winter months. Coleus adorn my kitchen windowsill (bright light but no direct sun) most of the year. In late summer, I load fresh cuttings into vases of water and wait for them to root. From rooted cuttings they become small potted plants. Some years they adorn window sills all around the house, other years I manage to save just a few – usually depending on how I'm able to control aphids – but most often you will find my sills holding a coleus collection.
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