"soup" wrote in message
om...
Son "got" a plant from a teacher at school (well he got two) his
teacher's has died, the one he gave to next door is still alive and pretty
healthy but the one in his greenhouse is doing really well, it is 117CM
tall (despite (because of?) getting pretty much ignored it is doing better
than next doors which is pretty much a house plant).
Thing is; he 'believes' it dies of every year, can anyone identify the
plant and how we would go about getting a cutting from it?
Instructions in words of one syllable please as I am no gardener and son
doesn't know any real terms.

http://www.sidtech.co.uk/iu/soup15528396654.JPG

It is a Coleus (now often called Solenostemon). I'm sure your son would
prefer Coleus (pronounced Ko-lee-uss).

It can be kept alive over winter. It needs good light and reduced watering.
It is very easy to take cuttings. It is years since I did it, but I used to
cut off a healthy shoot and place in water until it rooted. Your son
should cut off as many healthy shoots as he wants cuttings: it is important
to remove the shoot from the plant just above a joint where leaves are
attached. He should then trim the lower leaves from his cutting and also
cut the stem off cleanly just below that lower leaf joint (called a leaf
node) so that roots can grow from that node. Simply put them in a jar of
water so that the prepared leaf joint is below water. Stand the jar of
cuttings on a well-lit (but not hot and sunny) window sill and wait for them
to root. When rooted, pot them up. I would used John Innes No2 with added
grit or perlite. Certainly water them well to settle them in the compost,
then pour any excess water away. As I said, reduce watering over winter
(unless you're keeping it in a really warm place), then start to increase
watering in spring.

You can also grow new plants from seed. I never did this, but it is
reputedly very easy. You may not have collected seed from the dead flowers,
but you could do this another year. If you don't intend to use seed, it is
worth promptly removing dead flowers so the plant doesn't waste energy on
seed production.

Hope this helps.
Spider