Coleus ‘Big Red Judy’

Velvety blood-red foliage of coleus 'Big Red Judy.'

* Common name: Coleus ‘Big Red Judy’

* Botanical name: Solenostemon scuttelarriodes ‘Big Red Judy’

* What it is: A big, bold foliage annual grown for its large upright leaves of a velvety rust/burgundy with a few hints of gold.

* Size: 3 feet tall and nearly as wide.

* Where to use: Does just fine in garden beds but best as the star of a big flower pot. Grows well in full sun to full shade. Use as centerpiece in a pot or as a second-rung plant in a bed (behind a shorter edging plant and/or in front of taller shrubs and evergreens).

* Care: Plant after frost. In the ground, water twice weekly in the first six weeks, then weekly if the weather is dry. Work compost and timed-release flower fertilizer into soil at planting. In-season fertilizer not needed. In pots, water daily when it doesn’t rain and fertilize with a balanced fertilizer at half-strength every few weeks. Yank and compost at season’s end or pot up a few as indoor houseplants.

* Great partner: Golden licorice vine in a pot, spirea ‘Mellow Yellow’ or golden variegated Japanese forestgrass in the ground.