Versa Crimson Gold Sun Coleus Planted in Island Bed - May 2025

Last year, I planted three Inferno Coleus in the Island Bed in our front yard - the first time I've used Coleus as a bedding plant.  By the end of the season, I wrote this post praising coleus in mid-October.   I learned to like them so much that I included "use more coleus" as my #6 item on my 2025 to-do list. 

My plan for the island bed was to extend the bed (done) and plant it full this year.  Part of that planting is to use a sun-tolerant coleus in front of the trees (Ginkgo and Korean Maple) and behind the (planned) perennials.  

I found these striking "sun coleus" at the nursery and decided to buy two six-packs of them:  

The tag says they're named Crimson Gold Versa Coleus:

Here is what Ball Seed has to say about Crimson Gold Coleus:

Versatile coleus variety thrives in sun and shade. Long-lasting, deep red leaves with golden-green edges pop as landscape or garden component. Well-branched, vigorous habit.

With twelve (12) plugs in-hand, I began to pull back the mulch and plan their layout.  Here they are, below, laid-out in a staggered formation across the width of the bed:

And, here, below are the Crimson Gold Coleus all planted-in.  I watered them and will try to stay on top of keeping them irrigated for the next few weeks.  

In the photos above, you can see the large amount of 'blank space' that (now) exists between the coleus and the sidewalk.  My plan is to fill that in with a mix of perennial grasses and some groundcover.