Coleus scutellarioides 'Main Street Bourbon Street' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Coleus 'Main Street Bourbon Street' (Painted Nettle)

Coleus scutellarioides 'Main Street Bourbon Street'

£9.99
Overwinter under coverSun-lovingShade-tolerantLoved by pollinators
Pot size
13cm / 1L £9.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

Complete the set up
Description

The Coleus scutellarioides 'Main Street Bourbon Street' is a rich, moody foliage coleus from the well-loved Main Street series, grown for deeply scalloped leaves in dark burgundy and wine-red edged with a fine line of contrasting lime green. It has a compact, well-branched habit and holds its colour beautifully all summer, making it one of the most elegant coleus for pots, borders and shady corners that need a hit of drama.

Honesty first on hardiness: coleus is a tender foliage plant, rated RHS H1C, and it will not survive frost. Treat 'Main Street Bourbon Street' as summer bedding and patio colour. Plant it out or move pots outside only once nights stay above 10C, usually from late May or early June, then bring it in or take cuttings before the first autumn frost to overwinter on a warm, bright windowsill. As a summer plant it is quick, generous and very easy to please.

A quick note on names: coleus has shifted between genera over the years, so this plant appears as Coleus scutellarioides, Plectranthus scutellarioides or the older Solenostemon scutellarioides. They are all the same species; Coleus scutellarioides is the currently accepted botanical name, and 'Main Street Bourbon Street' is the cultivar.

Water regularly to keep the compost evenly moist, since coleus wilts quickly when dry, and pinch out the tips often to build a dense, branching plant, removing any flower spikes so the display stays in the leaves. It is a first-rate plant for pots and containers and one of the best tender foliage plants for a shaded scheme, at home among our other striking architectural foliage. Combine it with the brighter Main Street Ruby Road or the graphic Main Street Spacecake for a layered container, or browse the wider hardy exotics range for more summer colour. As with all our plants, our what to expect guide explains how a tender foliage plant behaves through the seasons.

Every Coleus 'Main Street Bourbon Street' we supply is nursery-grown, hand-selected for strong, well-coloured growth, and packed with care to arrive in superb condition ready to pot up for summer.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

Find out more

What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

Best quality plants guaranteed
7 day live arrival guarantee
Delivered to your door with care
Earn 49 points with this plant · 5 points per £1 Join free

How to care for Coleus 'Main Street Bourbon Street' (Painted Nettle)

Plant me in full sun and bring me under cover before the frosts.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
Get to know me

About Coleus 'Main Street Bourbon Street' (Painted Nettle)

Coleus scutellarioides 'Main Street Bourbon Street' needs full sun or partial shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is frost tender and must come under cover for winter.

Good for

Exotic Borders Pots & Containers Shade

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H1C · Tender · frost-free only

tender (RHS H1C). Frost-free only; grow as summer colour and overwinter under cover.

Position

Full sunPartial shadeSouth-facingWest-facingEast-facingSheltered

sun or partial shade. A little direct sun richens the burgundy tones, while dappled shade protects the foliage in the hottest, driest spots.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

fertile, humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil, or a good peat-free multipurpose compost in pots.

Watering

Water regularly to keep the compost evenly moist, since coleus wilts fast when dry. Pinch out the tips often to build a full, branching plant and snip off any flower spikes so growth stays in the leaves. Feed every one to two weeks with a balanced liquid feed through the growing season. Read moreShow less

Water regularly to keep the compost evenly moist, since coleus wilts fast when dry. Pinch out the tips often to build a full, branching plant and snip off any flower spikes so growth stays in the leaves. Feed every one to two weeks with a balanced liquid feed through the growing season.

Mature size

Height0.4-0.5 m
Spread0.3-0.45 m

Reaches full size in 1 season

Growth habit

Bushy

Flowering

Jul-Sep

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Evergreen (stays evergreen only when kept frost-free over winter)

Pruning

Pinch out the shoot tips regularly through summer to keep it dense and bushy, and remove any flower spikes so the plant concentrates on its foliage.

Toxicity

Coleus is toxic to pets (cats, dogs) and can cause mild irritation if eaten by people. Keep away from children and animals and do not ingest.

Native range

SE Asia to Australia (species); garden origin (cultivar)

Family

Lamiaceae

Also known as

Coleus scutellarioides 'Main Street Bourbon Street'

Genus

Coleus
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Are coleus hardy in the UK?

No. Coleus like 'Main Street Bourbon Street' are tender, rated RHS H1C, and will not survive frost outdoors in the UK. Grow them as summer foliage plants: plant out or move pots outside only once nights stay above 10C, usually from late May or early June, and bring them in or take cuttings before the first autumn frost. It is a moody, elegant tender choice for a shady scheme.

Will coleus come back every year?

Coleus is a tender evergreen perennial, but in the UK it is treated as a summer annual because frost kills it outdoors. It only returns year after year if you overwinter it under cover on a warm, bright windowsill above 10C. The simplest way to keep 'Bourbon Street' going is to take cuttings in late summer, which root fast and give you fresh plants for the following year.

Do coleus do better in pots or in the ground?

Both work well in summer, but pots give you more control and make winter care far easier, since you can move the plant indoors before frost. 'Bourbon Street' is compact and well-branched, so it makes a first-rate plant for pots and containers, while in a border it knits beautifully into an exotic summer planting.

Does Coleus 'Bourbon Street' need sun or shade?

Either. 'Main Street Bourbon Street' grows in sun or partial shade. A little direct sun richens the deep burgundy tones, while dappled shade protects the foliage in the hottest, driest positions. That adaptability makes it one of the best tender foliage plants for a shady corner as well as a sunny patio pot.

Should I cut back my coleus for winter?

To keep it, bring it inside before the first frost, trim it back, stand it in a sunny window and pinch the tips through winter to hold a bushy shape, watering sparingly while growth is slow. Harden it off gradually in spring once frost has passed. Left outdoors over winter, it will not survive, so overwintering under cover or from cuttings is the only way to carry it over.

How is 'Bourbon Street' different from other Main Street coleus?

'Bourbon Street' is the dark, moody member of the Main Street series, with deeply scalloped leaves in burgundy and wine-red edged with fine lime green, next to brighter siblings like the ruby-red Main Street Ruby Road and the graphic Main Street Spacecake. All share the same compact, well-branched habit and tender, summer-colour nature.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

Verified reviews

Rated by real customers

You may also like

We recommend
Coleus scutellarioides 'Main Street Bourbon Street'
£9.99