This charming plant comes in a range of colors and size .
Joseph ’s pelage does n’t have the most interesting or glossy blooms , but the plants easily make up for it with their stunning , jewel - toneleaves . Joseph ’s pelage industrial plant make a wonderful accent in any garden setting and can work well as showy houseplants . With several hundred coinage available , these plants offer many different folio shapes , sizes , and textures . Plant them in full sun for the good and brightest leafage colors .
gardener have recollective maturate leafage plants , such ascoleus , to add together a spatter of color without have to worry about blooms , but sometimes flame nettle can grow a little too large in the summertime . If this is the case for you , give Joseph ’s coat a attempt . These plant come in different size and with a kind of leafage shapes — some with sparse and narrow farewell and others that are wide and oval . Others still have unique rippled foliage , and some have multicolored leaves .
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Where to Plant Joseph’s Coat
In most gardening zone , gardeners grow Joseph ’s coat as an yearbook . It raise as a perennial only in Zones 10 and 11 . A full - Sunday positioning is preferred to impart out the colors in the foliage .
Small - leaf varieties work well at the edges of garden beds , and they can be trained into minor formal hedge , realise them outstanding for colorful Calidris canutus gardens . big - leaf plantvarieties are gross for the midriff of moulding , and some have loose habits that work well , mingle with other plants . Some tiny eccentric also make majuscule additions toterrariums and fairy gardens , as they can be cut back and defend at a miniature weighing machine .
How and When to Plant Joseph’s Coat
The near time to correct out Joseph ’s coat plants is in April or May , although they can be planted later with some success . After the last frost in natural spring , set out baby’s room - grown plant space 12 to 18 inch asunder in well - draining filth with added compost . Dig a holelarge enough for the root ball and at the same depth as the nursery container . Using your hand , loosen the tooth root if crowd in the container . Settle the works in the pickle and backfill with the amended garden soil . pee the plant deeply to wipe out any aviation pocket .
Within its hardiness zone , Joseph ’s coating can also be grown from tubers planted 4 inches deep in well - draining territory in the fall . distinguish the emplacement because you wo n’t see new growth until spring .
Joseph’s Coat Care Tips
This magical foliage plant puts on quite a exhibit of color with very little input and does n’t require much maintenance .
Light
To get the bright colouring out of your Joseph ’s coat plants , imbed them in full sun . Indoors , give them a shiny window with as much lineal light as possible . In part shade , the colors may come across as more quiet , and the substance abuse of the plants can get a slight lanky .
Soil and Water
When implant Joseph ’s pelage plant life in the dry land as bedding plants , put them in well - drained territory . Joseph ’s coat plant do n’t like stand up piss but savor consistent moisture . Once they are dry , they are quick to wilt , but they drink down back up when they receive some piss .
Temperature and Humidity
Joseph ’s coating is aboriginal to warm , humid areasof Asia and South America , so it welcome lovingness and humidity . It produce best in temperature between 65 ° F and 75 ° F in moist , not besotted , soil .
Indoors , keep Joseph ’s coating in a fond , sunny way and mist it regularly . Alternatively , fill a saucer with pebbles and water and set the works on top of it .
Fertilizer
When Joseph ’s coat is planted in a full - sun location in racy , well - draining soil , it does n’t need fertilizer . In all other cases , apply a mildliquid fertilizer , such as fish photographic emulsion , every couple of month during the grow time of year . For the amount to employ , follow product label directions .
Pruning
If the works become loose in wont , they are amenable topinching and shearingto keep them groomed and tidy .
Potting and Repotting Joseph’s Coat
All of the varied type of Joseph ’s coatwork well in containers , both inside and out . If you plan to use them in pots , apply a well - drained , general - purpose potting mix with a irksome - release fertilizer . take a container with good drain that is about 2 inch larger in diameter than your nursery dope .
Pests and Problems
In the garden , slugsand caterpillars may show up on your plant . Just pluck them off by mitt . Joseph ’s coat can be infested by wanderer mites or aphids when grown outside or in spite of appearance . hold insecticidal grievous bodily harm to the plant as shortly as you see the athirst pests .
How to Propagate Joseph’s Coat
Topropagate by stem cuttings , crop a 6 - column inch opus from the remainder of a stem of an existing works and foray the leaves from the bottom half . Plant it in moist sand or peat with at least one Seth of leave of absence above the soil communication channel or strike down it in a glass and find out for the roots to mature ; then plant it in moist sand or peat . prepare out the seedlings after the last hoar of spring .
If you prefer togrow from seed , commence in late wintertime or very early natural spring . conjure each seed 1/8 inch into seed - start mixture in a small-scale pot and water the pot . If you keep the seed in a fond way and mist them to keep the humidity high , they should evolve within two calendar week .
Types of Joseph’s Coat
Joseph’s Coat
Alternanthera ficoideabears purple foliage on a humbled spread works perfect for containers .
‘Gail’s Choice’ Joseph’s Coat
Alternanthera’Gail ’s Choice ' offer dark purple - red foliation on an upright flora that can get through 2 foot grandiloquent .
Joseph’s Coat Companion Plants
Angelonia
Angelonia isalso ring summer snapdragon , and once you get a ripe look at it , you ’ll live why . It hassalvia - alike flower steeple that reach 1–2 feet high , but they ’re studded with gripping snapdragon - same flowers with beautiful colorations in purple , white , or pink . It ’s the perfect works for append smart color to hot , sunny spaces . This tough plant flush all summer long with spirelike spikes of blooms . While all varieties are beautiful , keep an eye out for thesweetly scented selections . While most gardener treat angelonia as an yearly , it is a tough perennial in Zones 9 - 10 . If you have a bright , sunny spot indoors , you could keep it flowering all winter .
Dusty Miller
Dusty milling machine is a favorite becauseit look good with everything . The silvern - whitened color is a great foil for any type of garden peak , and the fine - textured leafage creates a beautiful direct contrast against other unripe foliage . Dusty miller has earned its place in the garden because it ’s delightfully easy to grow , withstanding heat and drought like a champion .
Fountaingrass
Like many grasses , fountaingrass is spectacularwhen backlit by the go up or setting Sunday . Along with its exceptionally graceful nebuliser of foliage , for which it ’s named , fountaingrass also sends out beautiful , blurry bloom feather in late summer . The white , pink , or red plumes ( count on variety ) continue into fall and bring a at large , informal look to plantings . This flora self - seed freely , sometimes to the point of becoming invading .
Frequently Asked Questions
Joseph ’s coat is an annual in most domain of the country , but in Zones 10 and 11 or when it is grown as a houseplant , it can live up to five years . However , to hold up a long life , houseplants must be placed in a S - face window or other burnished location to receive as much Sunday as possible . Fertilize every three month with a fish emulsion fertilizer , following the product directions .
Joseph ’s coat is lever for its colourful leaf . However , if you look very close in previous fall or wintertime , you might see some small , undistinguished white flower .
Whether it ’s grow as a ground cover or a marvelous garden flower , Joseph ’s coating is not consider invasive .
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Credit: David Speer
Credit: Tom McWilliam
Credit: Marty Baldwin
