FAQ's

Do you have a printed/paper catalog?  Will you send me one?
Because of our desire to not contribute to the amount of waste in our country's landfills, our catalog is online only. We do offer a mailing to those without internet access that lists some of our bestsellers and includes an order form that can be mailed or faxed to us. It is not a full catalog and does not include detailed descriptions.

Can I visit and shop in your greenhouse?  Can I pick up my order?
We are strictly a mail order operation with no retail storefront or accommodations for guest parking. Our benches are full of plants that are already committed for sale, so we cannot allow visitors to pick from those plants. After our shipping season ends in early June we empty the greenhouse and close for the summer and fall and no longer carry plants for sale.
Our business is internet based, and we accept orders via our secure shopping cart, fax, or U.S. Mail. (Please visit our Ordering Information page.)  Questions can be asked through our email address: rosydawngardens@comcast.net 

Do you sell Coleus seeds?
We sell only Coleus plants propagated from cuttings. None of the varieties we sell are even available as seeds! (see next question)

Do you sell Black Dragon, Wizard, Rainbow, Fairway, Kong, Carefree, Giant Exhibition, Palisandra, or other seed-grown Coleus?
Those are seed-grown varieties. 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 at a local nursery.

Do you offer wholesale pricing?
No, we do not sell wholesale. Rosy Dawn Gardens is a small, family-owned, retail business. We do not have the space to grow plug sheets of plants to sell wholesale to nurseries or landscapers. We exist to serve home gardeners and plant collectors that want a large selection of reasonably priced plants from which to choose.

Do you ship overseas?
We do not ship outside of the U.S.

How many Coleus plants do I get for the price?
Our plants are individually priced. Each plant is $4.75. We do not sell wholesale or offer quantity discounts. You will receive one bonus plant of our choice for every 10 coleus plants you order (limit 6).

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 handling charge is a built-in price break for large orders. We also include a free bonus plant for every 10 coleus plants you order (limit 6) as a "thank you" for your business. Bonus plants are our choice, but we will try to choose Coleus that will combine well with other plants in your order.

Will you ship United Parcel Service (UPS)?
We find US Priority Mail to be the most economical way to ship from this area, and we have based our prices accordingly. If a customer requests UPS we require a $10.00 surcharge to offset the extra cost of shipping.

When will my order be shipped?
We ship on Saturday, Monday or Tuesday of each week of the shipping season, with exceptions for postal holidays.   
Please request a shipping date on your order. We will try to meet your chosen date, but your requested shipping date may have to be delayed until your plants are 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. Orders may be placed though the first week of June. Beginning the second week of June, all Coleus in the catalog will be listed as out-of-stock until ordering begins for the next spring on December 1. We are sorry that we cannot ship into the summer months but once we hit June the higher temperatures in the greenhouse make it difficult to propagate and grow high quality plants. We have also found that shipping in the heat of summer is too stressful for the Coleus.
Please order early, as we are happy to hold 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 plants or instruct the mail carrier as to a safe place to place the box until you arrive. You might also request that the post office keep the package for you to pick-up.
Our shipping season begins the last week of March, weather permitting. We reserve the right to use our discretion when deciding if it is safe to ship 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. We will delay shipping when weather of any kind (hot, cold, hurricane) could threaten the safety of your plants at any point during the shipping process. Please keep in mind that our greenhouse operation is in Michigan, so no matter how warm it is where you live, in March and sometimes beyond we are often under several inches of snow and experiencing freezing temperatures.

What size pots do you use?
We do not ship our Coleus in pots! We grow our plants in a growing mix contained in a root permeable, degradable fabric sleeve. This allows us to produce a nice-sized starter plant in relatively little soil. The root ball will be approximately 1 3/4" in diameter X 1 3/4" high. For a picture click on growing method.  The advantage for the customer is that this growing system allows us to keep our shipping costs far below those of our competitors that grow and ship in pots of soil. You pay for the plant, not for mailing the soil. Your plants arrive clean and unbroken because there are no pots of loose dirt ready to dump their contents all over your order. Another advantage is that we can offer you a much larger collection from our limited space than if we were growing all of our plants in traditional pots. We aim to provide “one-stop shopping” for our Coleus customers!

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: We grow and ship husky starter plants ready to pot up and grow on. They are not full grown plants!

Which Coleus will take full sun?
A lot of companies have been promoting “Sun Coleus” and, in fact, many varieties are sun-tolerant. However, "full sun" is a relative, as well as misleading, term. Full sun in Michigan where we live is a whole different thing than full sun in Florida or Texas or Arizona. Another relative term is "grow." Growing or surviving is different than "thriving." Many Coleus will survive and grow in full sun but constant exposure to strong sunlight can alter the coloring of the plant and greatly 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 of the middle and/or late day. Of course, many people do not have an ideal exposure available in which to grow Coleus, so experimentation is certainly in order. Many of our customers have success in full sun. Red, burgundy, deep purple, and medium to dark green varieties generally do well with a lot of sun. Plants with spots, stripes, and variegation along with white, yellow, gold, and chartreuse varieties can become "greened out" and less attractive by the excess coloring produced by the plant to protect itself from the sun. See our Selection Guide page for more information on the varieties of Coleus that can tolerate sun. (Please note that the Selection Guide is not changed when items sell out. Some Coleus mentioned may not be available)

Why do some Coleus that look the same have different names?
In the absence of a Coleus Society or registry for hybridizers, many Coleus cultivars have been claimed, renamed, and even patented by nurseries or companies that had nothing to do with developing that cultivar. Coleus are also very generous with producing "sports," which are mutations that can be propagated and sold as a new variety. The same sport may occur spontaneously at different nurseries and each might claim it as a new introduction and give it their own name. This causes a lot of confusion for Coleus enthusiasts! We try to list the common alias for each variety in the description.
All types of Coleus are now in the genus Solenostemon scutellarioides, so technically the name "Coleus blumei" or "Coleus hybridus" no longer exists.  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? When we first started selling Coleus we hoped to sell an organically grown product, since we have always gardened organically. Unfortunately the wonderfully warm and humid environment in the greenhouse not only fosters the growth of beautiful Coleus, it is a great environment for bugs as well! We found it impossible to grow Coleus on such a large scale and be able to offer our customers a product free from "hitchhikers". We have developed 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.

I am looking for the Scaredy Cat, Dogs Be Gone, or Pee (Piss) Off Coleus. Do you sell Coleus canina?
Yes, we sell the plant commonly sold as “Coleus canina.” While being touted as a hybrid Coleus out of Germany, it is actually a Plectranthus, and it grows wild in Africa and India. It has gotten a lot of publicity lately for its ability to repel cats, dogs, rabbits, fox, and other critters looking to urinate on or otherwise desecrate your garden. We are happy to sell you “Coleus canina”, but please keep in mind that as far as we know there has not been a scientific study to gauge the effectiveness of “Coleus canina” as an animal repellant. We make no claims or guarantees as to whether it will repel pests in your garden.
Plants are sized like our other Coleus. Please refer to the “How big are the plants that you sell” FAQ for more information.
Please note: If you have had success (or failure) with using this plant as a repellent please email us at rosydawngardens@comcast.net and share your story.