Pairings: Coleus and SunPatiens

 
Coleus ‘Rustic Orange’ and Impations 'SunPatiens Compact Orange'

Two cultivars that are well suited for each other are Coleus ‘Rustic Orange’ and Impatiens 'SunPatiens Compact Orange'. Ordinarily deployed in partial shade gardens, we find both cultviars perform just find in full blazing sun like this garden. We like to plant them together because they both reach about the same height and grow in a wide range of light and water conditions.

Orange-red to orange-yellow is the color connection between these two plants. It plays out in a way that keeps them distinctive, yet ties them together in a monochrome palette that is very popular right now. If you look closely, the SunPatiens blossom merges orange and yellow to make the flower so bright.

Similar in height—‘Rustic Orange’ glows next to a mass of dark green

'Rustic Orange' is a mid-height Coleus. We have taller ones and smaller ones, but this one likes to top about around the knee-to-waist range. More water will move to the higher end. We think it is a good general purpose, all-around design tool when working within the orange palette.

'SunPatiens Compact Orange' has a burly build to its green mound, a very different contast to the tall and slender stems of 'Rustic Orange'. The two sets of leaves have very similar shapes, and that helps to tie the bed closer together.

Our Compact Sunpatiens are workhorses, available in the 1801L tray and the 4.5, 6, and 8-inch pot sizes. Coleus ‘Rustic Orange’ comes in the 1801L tray and the 4.5 and 6-inch pots.