19 Gorgeous Plants That Deliciously Celebrate Your Love of Chocolate - Part B

by JONY PARK

19 Gorgeous Plants That Deliciously Celebrate Your Love of Chocolate - Part B

'Chocolate Ruffles' Coralbells

Though the leaves on this spectacular emerge coppery in color, they quickly mature to a bold chocolaty purple. As its name suggests, the foliage is a bit ruffled, adding a . Small, white flowers appear in late spring and early summer.

Name Heuchera 'Chocolate Ruffles'

Growing Conditions: Sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil

Growing Conditions: Sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil

Zones: 4-9

'Velour Frosted Chocolate' Viola

Start off your chocolate garden with the rich caramel-meets-chocolate (with a purple blush) look of 'Velour Frosted Chocolate'. This cool-weather plant is a good choice for adding garden beds in spring and fall.

Name: Viola 'Velour Frosted Chocolate'

Growing Conditions: Sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil

Size: To 6 inches tall and 8 inches wide

Zones: Annual

'Colorburst Chocolate' Calibrachoa
A perfect complement to chocolate cosmos, 'Colorburst Chocolate' calibrachoa bears burgundy blooms blushed with brown. This compact annual blooms all season long and makes an excellent trailing plant for containers and hanging baskets.

Name: Calibrachoa 'Colorburst Chocolate'

Growing Conditions: Sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil

Size: To 8 inches tall and 10 inches wide

Zones: Annual

'Mocha' Coralbells
Coffee and chocolate make a dreamy combo in drinks and desserts, and they can also be a match made in heaven in the garden. 'Mocha' coralbells features deep purple foliage that seems to get darker as the season progresses. The leaves are larger than many other 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

'Chocolate Mint' Scented Geranium
You'll want to put this deliciously scented geranium where you can easily brush the leaves to release their refreshing minty fragrance. While the plant doesn't actually smell of chocolate, each bright green leaf is splotched with dark purplish-brown. Grow it as a summer annual or houseplant if you have a sunny window.

Name: Pelargonium 'Chocolate Mint'

Growing Conditions: Sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 3 feet tall and wide

Zones: 9-10, but usually grown as an annual

'Heart Attack' Sweet William
A perennial form of sweet William, 'Heart Attack' produces deep brownish-red flowers in spring and summer. The blooms are sweetly fragrant (more floral than cocoa, though) 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

'Midnight Feelings' Phlox
Though it doesn't have a chocolate name, there's no mistaking the color of this perennial'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

Purple Four-leaf Clover
A quick-growing groundcover, purple four-leaf clover bears rich chocolate-purple foliage edged in green. Curiously, most of the leaves actually do 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

'Intrigue' Canna
When you need a statement plant to really draw the eye, try 'Intrigue' canna. Its tall, upright stems and large leaves are a delightful shade of brownish purple. In late summer, this canna variety has orange-red flowers, but they really take a backseat to the stunning 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