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Frequent Questions
Do you have a printed catalog? Will you send me one?
Our catalog is online only.
Do you sell Coleus seeds?
No, we do not sell coleus seeds.
Do you offer wholesale pricing?
No, we do not sell wholesale. Rosy Dawn Gardens is a retail business. We serve home gardeners and plant collectors that want a large selection of reasonably priced coleus from which to choose.
How many Coleus plants do I get for the price?
Our plants are individually priced. We do not sell wholesale or offer quantity discounts.
If I order a lot of plants can I get a price break?
We do not offer price breaks for large orders. Our low, one-price shipping & handling charge is a built-in price break for large orders.
What is your substitution policy?
If we know in advance that we are out of stock or have a crop failure we will email you and ask of you would like to pick another variety. If we are picking orders for shipment and we realize we are out of stock, we will substitute a similar variety and add a bonus plant so we don't have to hold up your order until the next week. Please email us if you are dissatisfied with the substitution.
Do you ship overseas?
We do not ship outside of the Continental U.S.
Do you offer Gift Cards?
Yes. To order gift cards Click Here
When will my order be shipped?
We ship on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays, depending on where you live, with exceptions for postal holidays.
We make every attempt to meet your requested shipping date, but your order could be delayed because of weather or because your plants are not mature enough to ship. If no date is specified on your order form, we will send your order after the frost free date for your zone. You will be notified by email when your order ships. After we end our shipping season, all Coleus in the catalog will be listed as out-of-stock until ordering begins for the next spring on December 1.
Please order early, as we reserve your plants until your requested ship date or until weather permits shipping. Please consider vacations, etc. when requesting your ship date. If you cannot be home when your plants arrive please arrange for someone to watch for your delivery and care for them until you return.
Our shipping season begins in April, weather permitting. We reserve the right to use discretion when deciding if it is safe to ship your Coleus, and we consider the weather both at departure and arrival when making this determination. It is absolutely crucial for the survival of cold-sensitive Coleus to wait until the weather is safe. Please keep in mind that our greenhouse operation is in Michigan, so no matter how warm it is where you live, in April we are often experiencing snow and freezing temperatures. We will delay shipping when weather could threaten the safety of your plants at any point during the shipping process.
What size pots do you use?
We grow our plants in a growing mix contained in a root permeable, degradable fabric sleeve. Most of our coleus are equivalent in size to a plant grown in a 3"- 4" nursery pot.
Can I take cuttings from your coleus?
Most of the coleus we sell are not patented and you are are free to take cuttings from those. We do carry some patented coleus, and those varieties may not be propagated. Patent information is in the plant descriptions. For your convenience, we have created a product category for non-patented coleus.
How big are the plants that you sell?
Most plants that we ship are single or multi-stemmed and between three and nine inches in height, depending on the cultivar. Coleus cultivars vary widely in height, leaf shape, and habit. Some Coleus are small and grow very slowly, sometimes taking months to grow just a few inches in height. Others root rapidly and bolt out of the gate with vigorous growth. We try to indicate in the catalog descriptions when a plant is small or slow-growing, so please read carefully before ordering. Our Coleus may be pruned before shipping to encourage branching and to keep their size manageable for shipping. We recommend that you plant your Coleus into soil immediately upon arrival. Please refer to our Coleus Care page for additional growing instructions.
Please note: Our business is in Michigan and spring comes much later for us than for customers in the southern states. We grow and ship husky starter plants ready to pot up and grow on. They are not full grown plants! Plants ordered for shipping in early April will naturally be smaller than those ordered for shipment in late April and May. Coloration also improves with time and the warmer, longer days of late spring and summer.
Which Coleus will take full sun?
A lot of companies have been promoting “Sun Coleus” and, in fact, many varieties are sun-tolerant. Newer varieties have been especially promising in that regard. Please remember that "sun-loving coleus" is a marketing term and that "full sun" is relative. For instance, full sun in Michigan, where we live, is different than full sun in Florida or Texas or Arizona. Some Coleus will survive in full sun but constant exposure to strong sunlight can alter the coloring and size of the plant and increase the need for water. The best location for the truest color in Coleus, in our opinion, is a spot that receives some sun (preferably morning sun) but is protected from the harshest sun in the middle of the day. Of course, many people do not have an ideal exposure available in which to grow Coleus, so experimentation is certainly in order since many of our customers have achieved success in full sun with certain varieties. Coleus that do not do well in sun may show "bleaching" or other leaf damage or they might become "greened out" by the excess coloring produced by the plant to protect itself from the sun. We have created a category for "Sun Tolerant Coleus" for your convenience.
Success with coleus, especially in the sun, depends on proper preparation and hardening off of plants before putting them in a full sun situation. When you receive your coleus, they should be planted in a pot and allowed to gradually get used to the new climate. After potting your Coleus, place them outdoors everyday for 3-4 hours in full or partial shade in a wind-sheltered location. Gradually increase the time outdoors every day, and by the end of the first week you should be able to gradually begin to acclimate them to their permanent location for another week. This preparation is especially important if you are planting your coleus in the ground because they need to develop a sufficient root system to support them during hot, dry days in full sun. Planting your newly arrived coleus in the ground without hardening off and developing a bigger root system will risk the life of your coleus. Please refer to our Coleus Care page for additional growing instructions. The most important thing to remember when growing Coleus in full sun is that they need a well-developed root system, proper acclimation, good soil preparation, and consistent watering to look their best.
Coleus is the common name for Solenostemon scutellarioides. Most of our plants labeled with the common name "Coleus" fall into the former Coleus blumei category, although some of the the trailing varieties were formerly labeled C. pumilus or C. rehneltianus.
Are your Coleus organic? We use a pest management program that provides the best results possible using organic methods supplemented with a minimum amount of the safest chemicals we can find.
Do you sell Black Dragon, Wizard, Versa, Rainbow, Fairway, Kong, Carefree, Giant Exhibition, Palisandra, or other seed-grown Coleus?
We sell only cutting-grown Coleus varieties, which enables us to offer a much larger selection of Coleus that are generally more sun-tolerant and less likely to bloom. Seed-grown Coleus are usually purchased in flats or pots from a local nursery.
