Northwest July checklist

Plant a showy coleus

‘Henna’, a striking new coleus, is a must-have for the summer garden. It grows 2 feet tall and 16 inches wide, and can fill a medium-size pot all on its own. But in lightly shaded beds and pots, its scalloped leaves ― splashed with copper and lime ― pair well with trailers such as chartreuse Lysimachia nummularia  'Aurea' or Ipomoea batatas  'Marguerite'.

Grow it beside bronze Carex flagellifera  'Toffee Twist' and terra-cotta-colored calibrachoa. Pinch off flower spikes as they develop, and water regularly through the warm months. –Julie Chai