Joseph
Coleus scutellarioides
A cluster of thick stems from one base, cut back with plenty of new shoots. Roots tied in with wire.
Not a woody tree, so shaping is mostly by pinching and cutting back rather than wiring.
Addendum, October 2026: he took to wire after all, which nobody expected. The stems only shape while young and soft.
- Common name
- Coleus
- Section
- Bonsai
- Style
- Clump (kabudachi), experimental
- Spot
- Indoors
- Soil
- Westland bonsai mix
- Options
Potential
An experimental multi-trunk foliage plant, with a compact tree-like outline rather than a conventional woody bonsai.
- From
- A local independent garden centre (in the sale)
- Age
- About 1 year
- Next repot
- Around Mar 2027
- Edible
- ❌ No: Toxic to cats and dogs.
- Hardy
- ❌ No: indoors all winter
- Garden-centre price
- about £6
Care & updates
- Next root check
- Mar 2027
- What to expect
- Slow and steady: expect fresh shoots each spring to pinch back, thickening a little more each year.
- Feeding
- Every 14 days, May–Aug, with Tomato feed (high potash), half strength
- Styled
First wiring, and it took it well. Small bends only: the stems are soft and only really shape while young, though the uprights still have a little flex. Larger leaves nipped off. Light feed of seaweed extract.
- Observation
Stems cut back, lots of fresh side shoots with good colour (lime edges, orange and burgundy centres).
🎮
A hero who changes his whole look, much like a coleus in a sunny spot.
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