Inky Finger Coleus
aka Double-Wide
My beautiful ‘Inky Fingers’ Coleus has been busy. Unlike its tall neighbor, this Coleus is growing out instead of up. I’ve nicknamed it Double-Wide.
Double-Wide makes me smile when I walk up the patio steps. The colors are spectacular. I’ve grown fond of this plant and hope to winterize it if possible. I grew a spectacular Coleus in the same area last year. It even garnered compliments from our landscape designer. Sadly, as soon as the temperatures dropped, the leaves dropped too. I thought it might come back the following year, but apparently when it’s done, it’s done.
Some brave souls bring their plants indoors for the winter, but I’m leery of what might move in with them. After a summer dealing with aphids, scale, wasps and thrips, I’m reluctant to go that route.
This year I want to create a localized greenhouse for the two plants to see if they’ll make it through the winter. I’ve done a bit of reading today, and learned that Coleuses grow as a perennial in Zone 10, an area quite a bit inland from our Zone 15. I also learned that you can take multiple cuttings from the plant in late summer, and start next season’s plants indoors. The challenge is lack of humidity in a dry, winter house.
Fall is still a few weeks away, so I will enjoy the plant outdoors for as long as I can. I don’t have a green house so I would have to improvise with PVC pipe and heavy-gauge plastic. Gardener’s Supply Company catalog sells garden quilt fabric and plant protection tents good to 24°F, also possible options.
Do you plan to winter over some of your garden plants? Have you had success in the past? Tips welcome! Please reply in the comments section below.
Gardening Nirvana 
Wow, Zone 15…you’d think you could wave a magic sunshine wand and presto-basinga. I guess every climate has it’s own set of challenges. We’re in zone 3-4 in Edmonton. Maybe 5 in a sheltered garden against a brich house or garage, and then only for a very hardy plant. Not too many pests survive the winter, although recent winters have been unpredictable. Sub-zero to melting and back to Sub-zero…plants hate it as much as people do. Do you have an attached garage?
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Wow. Zone 3-4. I’m spoiled, aren’t I? I remember our garden in Ontario by early December. It was blanketed with thick snow. My dad worked so hard on his garden on the weekends. Looking back, he probably savored every minute. Such a climate shift to go from India to Canada!
We do have an attached garage.
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I thought of your garage myself before I read Boomdeeadda’s comment. It seems like the garage alone would offer a lot of protection prior to adding any other type of insulation. It’s such a beautiful plant. I’d hate to see it lost.
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I didn’t even get the garage connection from her comment. (Head slap). I guess if I installed a grow light it would work. Otherwise they don’t get enough light.
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Hi, I would love to get an inky fingers plant…yours is just spectacular looking, so beautiful! Would you know where one can buy one in Ontario? Thanks so much,
Steffi
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I would check with your local nursery. If it will grow in your zone, they may be able to order one for you from their supplier. Good luck! That plant is a beauty.
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