About
Coleus scutellarioides 'Black Prince' is a tender perennial subshrub typically cultivated as an annual. Its leaves are serrated and display a deep purple-black hue with subtle red undertones. In summer, it produces flower spikes that yield small lavender and white blossoms.
About the genus
This genus consists of annual or perennial herbs and shrubs, with some species exhibiting succulent or tuberous characteristics. They are among the simplest plants to propagate. The soft-textured foliage contributes rich colors, including red, pink, green, and purple, enhancing garden beds, borders, and container arrangements.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H1C
Plant details
- Plant type
- Conservatory Greenhouse, Bedding, Houseplants
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 1-2 years
- Suggested uses
- Patio and container plants, Sub-tropical
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow under glass in peat-free, loam-based potting compost in bright filtered to moderate light. Pot up annually in spring. Grow outdoors in humus-rich moist but well-drained soil in summer. Provide a sheltered, frost-free environment
- Pruning
- Cut back if overwintering. Pinch out tips to encourage branching
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed in early spring (cultivars may not come true) or softwood cuttings in summer
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to glasshouse pests such as mealybugs, scale insects and glasshouse whitefly
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free