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Autumn Leaves

'Dancing Peacock' Someone needs to write a song... :) With an atmospheric river and 30 mph winds predicted this past weekend, I was afraid the ginkgo, which had just started to turn color, would be stripped.  We were lucky though and it remains intact. Gingko 'Princeton Sentry' After the storm... The Black Tupelo (Nyssa slyvatica) changes color from the inside out - The above photo was taken last week. Here it is today - 'Wolf Eyes' Dogwood (Cornus kousa) has never had such pink color - Catalpa bignonioides 'Aurea', Crape Myrtle 'Dynamite' ( Lagerstroemia ), and Persian Ironwood ( Parrotia persica ) - Japanese Maple 'Beni Hime' - Serviceberry 'Autumn Brilliance' ( Amelanchier ) with tree peonies - Stewartia pyschocamellia starts the color show early. It has since faded to a much softer color - Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Coleus "Kong"


Earlier this summer, I was looking for a colorful annual to go in a large pot next to our back door. The spot is shady and under a small porch roof. I was going to go with the old stand-by - impatiens - but saw this at the nursery and decided to try it. It has been spectacular.



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. I plant to use more coleus next year. The coleus I planted in the arbor garden this summer, like your 'Kong,' is still going strong. It is shrubby and quite beautiful.

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  2. Those big colorful coleus are certainly worth growing. They are so sturdy, not a bit fussy about light or water. Just give them room to grow.

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  3. I love all the Kong coleus series for the shade garden. They are simply the best.

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  4. Wow. Very eye catching.

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  5. Beautiful coleus. Will you be bringing a lot of your pots and garden ornaments with you to your new digs in P town?

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    1. I don't think I will bring any plants. Some pots and one or two statues but I am leaving the majority. :(

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  6. I'm a big fan of coleus, but I don't grow this one very often. But when I did, it was huge and lovely! I've always had good luck taking cuttings of coleus over the winter, and they make pretty house plants while you wait.

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  7. I've become a big fan of coleus lately. Such tough, undemanding plants. Kong is a beauty. :o)

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  8. I keep meaning to try 'Kong' as I do love coleus, but, here in the uk they take so long to get going, and are still little toddlers in July, even when planted under heat in February. Kong is a lovely size, and looks so healthy. Coleus remains somehow under the radar , a lovely annual which gets overlooked. Is it just out of fashion, or does it get overlooked when it is compared to annuals with big, showy flowers ?

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