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Pinching Coleus

Pinching some annuals and tender perennials makes them full and bushy

with Michelle Gervais

Length: 1:53

Have you ever wondered how to get your coleus plant to look as lush and full as the ones you see in the pages of glossy garden magazines? It's easy: you just need to pinch them. It may seem counterproductive to cut back a plant that you want more of, but pinching many annual and tender perennial plants—like coleus—encourages branching and full, bushy growth. Watch this video to learn how to pinch annuals and tropical perennials.

Here are some more plants that benefit from pinching: basil (Ocimum spp. and cvs., annual), plectranthus (Plectranthus spp. and cvs., Zones 10-11), alternanthera (Alternanthera spp. and cvs., Zones 9-11), bloodleaf (Iresine spp. and cvs., Zone 11), petunias (Petunia spp. and cvs., annual), impatiens (Impatiens spp. and cvs., annual), shasta daisies (Leucanthemum × superbum cvs., Zones 5-8),  and mums (Chrysanthemum spp. and cvs., Zones 5-9).

Shot by: Kate Geruntho Frank; Edited by: Cari Delahanty