"madgardener" wrote in message
...
yes, it's the flower spike. Pinch it out, so you'll have more branches of
colorful leaves. Coleus flower, which you don't want them to do. They're
grown for the beautiful leaves. To save some for next year, take cuttings
and root them in water thru winter and plant in soil come springtime. If
you
let it flower, it will weaken and eventually kill the coleus.
madgardener

I have let coleus grow into huge plants and let them bloom without killing
them - at least not before the frost gets them. I agree that pinching the
flowers is a good idea if you want them to be tidy. I couldn't recommend it
simply to keep the plant alive. In fact, I find that if you let them flower
and set seeds they will self-sow and return the next year here in zone 6. I
have to pinch them back to keep them from getting too large. I simply take
the cutting and strip off the lower leaves, poke a hole in the soil with my
finger, and plant them. They nearly always root. I have some in planters
on my deck that I am propagating that way this year.