If you too have decided to make your own “chocolate garden” then we are here to help you with your goal.
To begin with, you must know that not every flower you buy will smell of cocoa. You must know how to plant and maintain it properly.
Most of the flowers that have a chocolate scent grow in a place where they are exposed to the sun or in partial shade.
We assure you that with these flowers we present to you today you will be able to make your garden a unique look, variety of colors and a beautiful chocolate scent. Keep reading for more.
Chocolate Cosmos
Chocolate cosmos, is a species of Cosmos, native to Mexico. It has often been claimed that it is extinct in the wild; however it is “quite abundant” in Mexico. The species was introduced into cultivation in 1885, when the British seed company Thompson & Morgan first listed it in their seed catalogue. Its dark red to brownish red flowers have a scent resembling chocolate, which is one reason for its popularity as a cultivated plant.
Chocolate cosmos should be planted in a warm, sheltered location with all day sun. In northern areas you may want to give them a head start by planting the tubers in pots several weeks before bringing them outdoors.
Chocolate cosmos are tender perennials and winter hardy only in zones 9-11. If the plants are grown in very well-drained soil and are heavily mulched, they may survive the winter in zones 7-8. For best results, dig the tubers in fall and store them indoors for the winter where they can be kept cool and dry.
If this is your first time growing chocolate cosmos, consider planting them in a container. This will make it easy to give the plants a warm, sunny spot on your deck or patio. Growing in containers will also give the soil an extra boost of heat and make it easier to enjoy the beauty and fragrance of the flowers up close.
The daisy-like flowers of chocolate cosmos measure 1½” across and are very attracive to butterflies. Their vanilla-chocolate scent is most pronounced on warm, sunny days. The plants grow 24-30” tall and have an upright but spreading habit, with wiry stems.
Chocolate Mint Plant
Chocolate mint plants are attractive, fragrant and easy to grow. As with most square-stemmed members of the mint family, growing chocolate mint can take over the area in which it is planted in the ground, readily and quickly.
Growing chocolate mint in containers is easy. Growing chocolate mint outside in pots that can be placed in full to partial sun is easy. Once you have a cutting rooted, you likely won’t need to get another plant. Yearly division of the contents of the pot results in an abundance of plants for you to keep or share with friends and family, so that everyone has a container of the useful chocolate herb plant.
Water and fertilize occasionally and grow in full sun for maximum flavor. Harvest throughout the growing season, unless you want the plant to display its attractive pink flowers in late spring to midsummer. If so, clip after flowering.
Bird’s Eyes
Bird’s eye is an annual herb with a feathery arrangement of leaves; pinnately dissected leaves. The tubular flowers are a half-inch in diameter and are singular to just a few at the end of each stem. Each flower has five petals and five green sepals with five alternating powder blue anthers which extend beyond the tube. The somewhat free petals are blue-violet on the outside edge with a lighter, almost white, center. Placed at the top of the tubular throat, is a dark purple ring.
They love full sun and can grow as tall as 2-3 feet in a well-watered garden. Also Bird’s eye often attract hummingbirds, native bees, and even the occasional butterfly, so they’re great for those who love to watch the garden for animal life.
Carolina Allspice
Carolina Allspice, also called Sweetshrub and Strawberry Bush, is native to the United States and easy to grow. This deciduous shrub produces reddish-brown fragrant blooms that have hints of pineapple, strawberry and banana. The flowers give way to urn-shaped fruits which mature in the fall. Its dark green, lustrous leaves are aromatic when crushed and, in autumn, turn yellow.
Carolina Allspice thrives in USDA zones 4-9 and grows to be, on average, 8 feet tall and up to 12 feet wide.
Carolina allspice shrubs grow in any exposure from full sun to shade. They aren’t picky about the soil. Alkaline and wet soils aren’t a problem, although they prefer good drainage. They also tolerate strong winds, making them useful as a windbreak.
The care of Carolina allspice is easy. Water Carolina allspice shrubs often enough to keep the soil moist. A layer of mulch over the root zone will help the soil hold moisture and reduce watering.
Heuchera
Heuchera, or Coral Flower, have beautiful veined foliage and love full sun or partial shade.
Heuchera love fertile, well-drained soil, and should be mulched annually. These plants do well in USDA zone 3, and will bloom from late spring to early summer, although there are late-blooming varieties available.
Coral bells make wonderful edging plants and put on a show when planted in groups. The foliage color is great for playing up the colors of nearby flowers. Darker purple leaves can make yellow flowers, like coreopsis, glow. Butterscotch colored leaves even bring out the tones of simple green leaves. Pair coral bells with lacy-leaved plants, like fringed-leaf bleeding heart or thread-leaf coreopsis, to highlight their form.
Cut back the entire flower stalk after flowering to put the plant’s energy into growing more leaves. Divide coral bells every three to five years to keep them from dying out in the center. If the leaves get a bit ragged looking, especially after winter, cut them back and new growth should fill in quickly.
Varieties of Heuchera
- Heuchera Autumn Leaves changes color through the seasons, from red to caramel to ruby.
- Heuchera Chocolate Ruffles has ruffled leaves with rich chocolatey color on the top and deep burgundy on the bottom.
- Heuchera Green Spice has large green leaves veined in maroon and is very hardy.
- Heuchera Marmalade has frilly leaves in shades from umber to deep sienna.
- Heuchera Tiramisu has chartreuse leaves, tinged with red. It changes in color throughout the season.
Oncidium Orchid
Oncidiums are popular indoor and florist orchids for a very good reason, their large sprays of flowers often sag with dozens of blooms. They have been freely hybridized. There are actually several hundred recognized oncidium species, but the naming is not stable, so there is considerable flux as experts reclassify plants.
The large leaves can get up to 2 feet long and emerge from the pseudobulbs. The oncidium flowers in fall.