Roses are red; violets are blue. I love flowers and chocolate, too!
Why choose between two favorites when you can add chocolate to the garden? OK, it’s not Hershey’s or Holl’s, but adding chocolate plants to the mix sure has a lot fewer calories!
The true cacao plant grows best in the tropics, but there are plenty of choices that will thrive and add a bit of “flavor†to our Appalachian gardens.
I use the word flavor loosely, as most of the plants are not edible, but the colors and scents of chocolate can embrace the senses and create depth in your garden designs.
Chocolate Cosmos grow tall when planted in full sun. This annual can reach 30 inches with stems bursting with deep burgundy flowers that look and smell like chocolate.
The chocolate flower has small, yellow flowers that smell like cocoa from spring to early summer. This dainty plant stays small, reaching about 8 inches tall.
Looking for a climbing vine? Try the chocolate vine, which can reach 30 feet high. In late spring, the vine will produce purple or white chocolate-scented flowers. After they fade, the vine’s green foliage will last through summer and fall.
Coleus is a favorite plant in the gardens of the little house on a big hill. It is dependable and colorful, and deer are not interested in eating it. The Dark Chocolate coleus leaves are a rich, dark purple with brown undertones. This annual can be brought inside as a houseplant when the temperatures drop, but give it room to reach its 30-inch height.
Chocolate Mint coleus is another variety with deep-purple leaves, but with surprising lime-green tipping. Again, this is an annual that can be brought inside. I have never overwintered coleus; they are annuals in my garden containers.
Chocolate Sunflowers are a standout in the garden. The 4-foot height and deep-brown blooms are quite beautiful, especially when mixed with the traditional yellow.
Butterflies will flock to Chocolate Joe Pye Weed. This perennial has chocolatey purple-brown foliage and contrasting white flowers. It needs room to grow, often reaching 5 feet tall and up to 2 feet wide.
Sweet Hot Chocolate Daylilies are a perennial (and deer favorite). In areas where deer are not a garden visitor, this is a lovely perennial with deep-purple flowers that bloom in the summer. Plant these daylilies in the full sun with well-draining soil.
Add coral bells to your garden beds. This perennial plant is tried and true. Look for the chocolate ruffle or mocha varieties to add a little whimsy to the landscape.
Chocolate mint geraniums produce a minty scent, so be sure to place them where the leaves are brushed, thus helping the oils to be released and the scent to waft in the air. The chocolate comes from the look of the green leaves with a chocolate-colored center.
For the ultimate chocolate showstopper, plant the Intrigue Canna. This stunning plant grows upright and has leaves that are deep purplish-brown. In late summer, expect to see large orange-red blooms.
I could go on and on. There is the Chocolate Sundae Dahlia, Velour Frosted Chocolate Viola, Kissed by Chocolate Delphinium, and Chocolate Chip Ajuga.
A friend has chocolate mint planted near her fence. In the summer, she often sees the kids picking and munching on the leaves as they walk down the street.
I’m a fool for chocolate. Lately, my treat has been handfuls of M&Ms. Planting chocolate in my garden is a much healthier way to go. Not only will there be the novelty of chocolate plants, but I will also get a bit of exercise with the planting, watering and weeding.
