Start a Chocolate Garden

Source from:  Better Homes & Gardens


Can't get enough chocolate? Then fill your garden with plants that have dark purple-brown flowers and foliage or cocoa-scented blooms. Justin W. Hancock

Chocolate Cosmos


Plants don't get much better than chocolate cosmos, which both looks and smells like chocolaty goodness! The burgundy-maroon flowers appear all summer long on tall stems and bear a rich scent.
Name: Cosmos atrosanguineus
Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size To 30 inches tall and 18 inches wide
Zones: 7-10, but commonly grown as an annual.

Chocolate Cosmos




Hot Cocoa Rose


Though it's not chocolate scented, Hot Cocoa rose does offer fun coloring -- the blooms are burgundy-red with unique brown undertones. It's a great cut flower with a moderate old rose fragrance.
Name: Hot Cocoa Rosa 'WEKpaltlez'
Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 8 inches tall and wide
Zones: 7-9

Hot Cocoa Rose




'Dark Chocolate' Coleus


'Dark Chocolate' earned its moniker because of its foliage: The leaves are a rich dark purple color with a slight brown undertone. This lovely coleus grows well in sun or shade and makes a terrific houseplant if you bring it inside for the winter.
Name: Solenostemon scutellarioides 'Dark Chocolate'
Growing Conditions: Sun or shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 30 inches tall and 24 inches wide
Zones: Annual


'Dark Chocolate' Coleus

'Chocolate Mint' Coleus


Add drama to your shade garden with this gorgeous coleus. It bears rich purple-red foliage edged crisply in lime green. And as a bonus, you can grow it as a houseplant during the winter months if you have a bright spot for it.
Name: Solenostemon scutellarioides 'Chocolate Mint'
Growing Conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 20 inches tall and 14 inches wide
Zones: Annual



'Chocolate Mint' Coleus




'Chocolate' Joe Pye Weed


Attract butterflies to your yard with 'Chocolate' Joe Pye weed, a low-care perennial that's a fun version of a North American native plant. Named for its purple-brown foliage, 'Chocolate' bears contrasting white flowers.
Name: Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate'
Growing Conditions: Sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 5 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Zones: 4-9

'Chocolate' Joe Pye Weed



'Sweet Hot Chocolate' Daylily


Daylilies are among the easiest perennials to grow, so you'll definitely want to add 'Sweet Hot Chocolate' to your garden. It bears amazing mahogany-purple flowers in summer. The blooms are edible (but sadly, they don't taste of cocoa).
Name: Hemerocallis 'Sweet Hot Chocolate'
Growing Conditions: Sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 24 inches tall and wide
Zones: 3-10



'Sweet Hot Chocolate' Daylily




'Chocolat' Sunflower


You're sure to love the deep, velvety color of 'Chocolat' sunflower, a fun twist on one of the favorite annual flowers of all time. This variety bears big heads surrounded by golden-brown petals.
Name: Helianthus annuus 'Chocolat'
Growing Conditions: Sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 48 inches tall and 24 inches wide
Zones: Annual




'Chocolat' Sunflower




'Summer Chocolate' Mimosa


A stunning selection of mimosa from Japan, 'Summer Chocolate' offers finely divided leaves in a rich, dark purple-red shade. Pink flowers accent it in late summer.
Note: This tree has invasive qualities in some areas; check local restrictions before planting it.
Name: Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate'
Growing Conditions: Sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 20 feet tall and 25 feet wide
Zones: 7-10



'Summer Chocolate' Mimosa




'Mocha' Coralbells


'Mocha' is a delightful variety of coralbells featuring deep purple foliage that seems to get darker as the season progresses. The leaves are larger than many other common coralbells, and it holds up better to heat and humidity.
Name: Heuchera x villosa 'Mocha'
Growing Conditions: Sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide
Zones: 4-9
'Mocha' Coralbells




'Heart Attack' Sweet William


A perennial form of sweet William, 'Heart Attack' offers deep blackish-red flowers in spring and summer. The blooms are delightfully fragrant and make for wonderful cut flowers
Name: Dianthus barbatus 'Heart Attack'
Growing Conditions: Sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 1 foot tall and 2 feet wide
Zones: 4-8



'Heart Attack' Sweet William




'Midnight Feelings' Phlox


Though it doesn't bear a chocolate name, there's no mistaking the color of this plant's brown-red bracts. These bracts are what puts on a show; they surround flower buds that curiously never open. The flowers last longer than traditional garden phlox.
Name: Phlox paniculata 'Midnight Feelings'
Growing Conditions: Sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Zones: 4-8

'Midnight Feelings' Phlox




Purple Four-Leaf Clover


Even if white clover is a major pest in your lawn, you might consider its cousin, purple four-leaf clover. This quick-growing groundcover bears rich chocolate-purple foliage edged in green. Curiously, most of the leaves have four leaflets instead of the traditional three, so you can always feel lucky!
Name: Trifolium repens 'Atropurpureum'
Growing Conditions: Sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 8 inches tall and 18 inches wide
Zones: 4-9



Purple Four-Leaf Clover




'Intrigue' Canna


'Intrigue' is a particularly lovely canna with stiff upright leaves in a delightful shade of purple-gray, kind of like when you leave a chocolate bar sitting out too long. In late summer, it has orange-red flowers, but they really take a backseat to the foliage.
Name: Canna 'Intrigue'
Growing Conditions: Sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 7 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Zones: 8-10, but can be treated like an annual or stored in a cool, frost-free place for winter.


'Intrigue' Canna