Add bold color to your space with these colorful coleus varieties for home and garden. Find stunning foliage plants for pots, beds, and indoors.
Thinking about growing coleus but not sure which variety to choose? With more than 300 species and over 1,500 varieties available, choosing the perfect one for your garden, containers, or indoor space can feel a little overwhelming. But here this list and will help in selecting the perfect type of coleus for your home or garden.
Coleus Varieties
1. ColorBlaze® Golden Dreams™
Golden Dreams™ is one of my favorite coleus varieties. It has bright lime-green leaves with dark red veins running through them. When grown in more sunlight, the red color becomes stronger and more noticeable. In shadier spots, the leaves stay a brighter lime green.
This variety grows large and full, whether planted in containers or garden beds. To highlight its lime color, plant it next to chartreuse plants like lemon cypress. If you want to bring out the red tones, pair it with a red coleus such as ‘Rediculous®’ for a bold and colorful display.
2. El Brighto
El Brighto is a striking coleus variety with long, pointed leaves and gently wavy edges. Its leaves are packed with color, featuring a dark burgundy center, a green band around it, and another burgundy layer near the edges. The outer part of the leaf turns soft pink and is finished with a bright yellow border. The mix of colors makes each leaf stand out. This variety works best as the focal point in a container.
3. Dragon Heart
Dragon Heart is a beautiful coleus variety with slightly pointed chartreuse-green leaves. The center of each leaf features a bold fuchsia color that spreads through the veins and blends into rich burgundy before fading into the bright green edges. This striking color pattern gives the plant a dramatic and eye-catching look.
The amount of sunlight affects its coloring. In brighter sun, the pink and burgundy shades become more intense. In shadier locations, the leaves show more chartreuse green. Dragon Heart looks stunning planted on its own in a container. It also pairs well with other pink or chartreuse-colored plants.
4. ColorBlaze® Wicked Witch™
Wicked Witch™ is one of my favorite coleus varieties. It has small, deep burgundy leaves that can look almost black. The edges of the leaves are bright lime green and beautifully ruffled, creating a strong contrast that makes the foliage stand out.
This variety looks wonderful in containers and garden beds. For an eye-catching display, plant it near chartreuse-colored plants such as lemon cypress. The bright green foliage around it helps highlight the ruffled leaf edges .
5. Electric Lime
This popular upright coleus has medium-green leaves highlighted by bright yellow veins. Gardeners love it because it is easy to use in many different planting designs. Its soft green color helps it blend well with other plants, while the yellow veining adds extra interest and detail. It works well as a filler plant in containers and also looks great planted directly in garden beds, where it helps create a full and colorful display.
6. ColorBlaze® Royale Cherry Brandy®
Royal Cherry Brandy® is part of the popular Colorblaze® series, known for its fast growth and full, bushy habit. It has rich burgundy leaves with a soft velvety look. When grown in more sunlight, the burgundy color becomes even deeper and more vibrant.
What makes this variety special is its narrow leaves with deeply serrated edges. The fine texture adds contrast when planted with broad-leaved plants or ornamental grasses. It works especially well in containers and garden beds.
7. Trusty Rusty
Trusty Rusty is a striking coleus variety with large rust-colored leaves edged in golden yellow. The warm colors make it a great choice for adding interest to containers and garden beds.
Its lightly variegated foliage stands out even more when planted next to solid-colored plants. It pairs especially well with sweet potato vine, creating a beautiful contrast in both color and texture. Trusty Rusty works well in mixed containers or planted directly in the ground.
8. Wizard® Rose
The Wizard® series of coleus is known for its compact, low-growing habit. These plants are perfect for borders, edging garden beds, or adding color as a filler plant in containers. Wizard® Rose is one of the more common varieties and is often easy to find at garden centers, nurseries, or as seed.
Its colorful leaves have bright pink centers surrounded by creamy white tones, with a medium-green border around the edges. This attractive mix of colors makes it a cheerful addition to containers and garden beds alike.
9. ColorBlaze® Rediculous®
Rediculous® is another beautiful coleus variety from the ColorBlaze® series. It has large, bold red leaves that bring strong color to containers and garden beds. Like other ColorBlaze® coleus varieties, it grows well in both sunny and shady locations.
This variety looks especially attractive when paired with flowers that have red tones. For example, calibrachoa varieties with a red center or red eye create a striking combination and help highlight the rich red foliage of Rediculous®. It is a great choice for adding bright color and contrast to mixed planters.
10. Campfire
Campfire Coleus is a beautiful rust-colored variety with a neat, mounded shape. It looks especially attractive in containers. In garden beds, it works nicely as a border plant. Try planting taller flowers such as argyranthemum behind it and low-growing annuals like lobelia in front to create a layered and colorful display.
11. French Quarter
French Quarter is a classic coleus variety with large, colorful leaves. The leaves have a bright magenta center that spreads through the veins and blends into the chartreuse-green outer edges. This bold color combination makes it a standout plant in any garden or container.
To highlight the magenta color, pair it with magenta calibrachoa or petunias in a container. If you want to emphasize the chartreuse edges, add creeping Jenny so it can spill over the sides of the pot. French Quarter also looks beautiful growing on its own in a container or planted in groups in garden beds for a strong splash of color.
12. Wizard® Jade
Wizard® Jade is a simple yet attractive coleus variety. Its leaves have creamy white centers surrounded by a clean medium-green border, giving the plant a fresh and elegant look. It is also a popular choice for growing indoors because it offers beautiful foliage color without needing as much care as plants like nerve plants.
This variety works very well as a filler plant in containers. It is especially attractive in green-and-white planting combinations alongside flowers such as alyssum, white begonias, and other light-colored plants. Its soft colors help create a neat and balanced display.
13. Fishnet Stockings
Fishnet Stockings is a unique and eye-catching coleus variety. It has bright lime-green leaves with very dark purple, almost black, veins running through them. In sunnier locations, the foliage develops even more dark red tones.
This variety looks beautiful growing on its own in a container, but it also pairs well with other coleus and foliage plants. Try planting it with Sweet Caroline Raven sweet potato vine to highlight its dark veining. For a dramatic and slightly gothic look, combine it with black petunias or dark pansies. The contrast creates a bold and memorable display.
14. Kong® Rose
Kong® Rose is similar to Kong® Red but has a different mix of colors. Its large leaves feature a bright magenta center, burgundy veins, and a wide green border around the edges. Depending on the amount of sunlight it receives, some leaves may also develop patches of white.
These coleus varieties are commonly available at garden centers alongside bedding plants. Their large, colorful leaves make a strong impact and help them stand out in both containers and garden beds. Even when surrounded by other plants, the bold foliage of Kong® Rose is hard to miss.
15. Wizard® Coral Sunrise
Wizard® Coral Sunrise is a beautiful coleus variety with soft salmon-pink leaves in the center. Around the pink area, you will often see patches of deep burgundy-brown, especially when the plant receives more sunlight. A medium-green border surrounds the leaves, creating a lovely contrast.
Salmon pink is not a common color in coleus, which makes this variety stand out. Coral Sunrise works well as a filler plant in containers and also makes an attractive low border at the front of garden beds. Its compact growth and colorful foliage make it a great choice for indoor growing as well.
