QUESTION: 

Hi, can you tell me the name of the vine in the picture?  

Thanks,
Marco M.

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Hi Marco,

My name is April M. and I’m the horticulturist that Sandi referred to.  Just for your information I am a member of the Dunesland Garden Club and am a retired Horticulturist from the Chicago Botanic Garden.

This plant is not a vine, but as Sandi said, is a Coleus seedling.  It probably settled in the crack in the walk from last year.  It can get quite tall, so I suggest that if you would like to transplant it elsewhere you can do that very easily.  Pour water on the plant and carefully pull it out by holding the base of the stem.  I’m assuming you live somewhere warm and can plant it right away.  Do so in an area that will get morning sun or dappled shade, since the majority of Coleus like a shady area.  It may grow quite tall, unless you pinch off the topmost leaves, so it grows bushier.  Also, even though this plant does bloom, the blooms take a lot of the energy from the plant and it becomes lankier rather than nice and bushy.

Also, this plant is grown mostly for its wonderful colorful foliage not the blooms.  You can pinch off the starting bloom stem to enjoy more foliage or pinch off some bloom stems to see what the blooms look like.  The blooms usually are a long stem with tiny blue flowers up the bloom stem.  Not showy, but OK.  Many people also get more plants by pinching off a topmost leaf stem and putting it in the ground and watering it more often OR even put the stem in a glass of water until the roots develop and transplant into the ground.  Hope this helps and thanks for asking for our help in your quest for great gardening.

Thanks again,

April M.
April – Horticulturist