About
Coleus scutellarioides 'Durham Gala' is a bushy, evergreen perennial that can reach heights of up to 75 cm. Its green stems support an array of wavy-edged leaves, showcasing a blend of raspberry-red, lighter red-purple, and creamy-yellow, all bordered with a green margin. The petioles are pale green to yellow. While the plant may produce pale blue flowers at various times throughout the year, they are not particularly notable.
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
- Loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H1C
Plant details
- Plant type
- Houseplants
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden, Hanging basket, Houseplants, Patio and container plants
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow under glass in peat-free, loam-based potting compost in bright filtered to moderate light. Pot up annually in spring for larger specimens. Grow outdoors in humus-rich moist but well-drained soil, enriched with well rotted manure. Provide a sheltered frost-free environment over winter
- Pruning
- No pruning required but pinch out tips to keep plants bushy and shapely
- Propagation
- Propagate by softwood cuttings with bottom heat in spring or summer or propagate by seed for free-flowering but smaller plants
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to mealybugs, scale insects and glasshouse whitefly
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free