Topic: Coleus Canina - the P-Off Plant

[Hyacinth]

Remember that? Newest 'discovery' about 2 seasons ago??

Well, today, I spent the morning digging it out of a client's borders, where it had established, become rampant, and was killing off her little rose bushes, planted in memory of her late husband  :'(   

In another border, which gets little sun, it had reverted to type, lost its coloured leaf, and was no more than a green thug. Got these horrible whitish roots, a real turn off like a mass of ganglia..........really needing to be sieved out. Ugh >:(

No cats around, tho - there again, there weren't any cats to start with - poor lady just thought it was an attractive looking plant :o - Lishka

[Mimi]

I thought that this plant was an annual Lishka.  Has it self seeded or is it a bit more of a very hardy perennial  ???

[Hyacinth]

Hardy, hardy, VERY hardy..think Thug, think as welcome as Japanese knotweed in your garden (but prettier?)...had no idea until today what a b. menance it can become  :'(

[return of the mac]

That cant be coleus canina- its a very tender annual, frost got mine :( .

[daisymay]

I would agree - does not sound right. based on when I bought some a few weeks ago, the care label says it is a non-hardy annual. On the beeb message board here is a discussion about how to take cuttings of it for next year as it is not frost tolerant.

Willing to be proved wrong though as cats are a major problem and the area I planted it in is a wild section anyway, so will see what happens  - save me having to nurture cuttings through winter!