What is a Chocolate Garden?

What is a chocolate garden?

Well, it could be a garden filled with chocolate scented flowers such as Chocolate cosmos. Or it may be that your chocolate garden plants are all foliage plants. These may smell deliciously of chocolate or be a rich brown colour.

A couple of years ago I wrote a blog for chocolate week: A Chocolate Garden – Planting Design Inspiration. Wherein I suggested flowers and foliage plants to answer the question I had asked myself, ie What is a chocolate garden?

I had intended to follow this up with more chocolate inspired gardening ideas. But last year I was understandably side tracked as my mother-in-law reached 90. This event sent my gardening thoughts and blog off onto a different topic – what gardens were like in 1926. You can find out how gardening has changed by reading it, the link is below.

But back to my question: What is a chocolate garden?

Let’s work on the basis that we are talking about a real, proper, outside space garden. your chocolate garden could fill a balcony, courtyard garden or small city garden. Or it could be part of a larger suburban garden or country garden.

As with any planting design you will need to consider the temperature, wind, sun and shade aspects of your garden. and of course the type of soil you have. Unless you’re going to be growing the plants in raised beds or containers. As well as the chocolate plants I suggested in my earlier blog, I have a few more that you may enjoy: –

3 Chocolate coloured Flowers

Dahlia ‘Chocolate Sundae’
Viola ‘Velour Frosted Chocolate’
Delphinium elatum ‘Kissed by Chocolate’

3 Chocolate coloured Foliage plants

Coleus ‘Chocolate Mint’
Ajuga ‘Chocolate Chip’
Heuchera ‘Chocolate Ruffles’

But what is a chocolate garden without some chocolate scented flowers?

Carolina Allspice

Carolina Allspice, Calycanthus floridus, also known as Sweetshrub, spice bush. There is some debate as to whether the maroon red flowers smell of chocolate or vanilla. But as each of us perceives odours slightly differently, I think we’ll presume it does have chocolate scented blooms.

Chocolate Orchid

The Oncidium orchid Sharry baby will need to be a houseplant in temperate zones. There are several varieties of the Sharry Baby orchid, ‘Sweet Fragrance’ is the most fragrant. All have a sweet chocolate scented flower.

Chocolate Daisy

The chocolate daisy, also known as the chocolate flower, Berlandiera lyrata. A North American ground covering native with yellow flowers in spring and summer. It’s attractive to bees and butterflies as well as to humans, so could work in a wildlife friendly garden too.

Berlandiera lyrata, fruits and seeds, Museum specimen, copyright Roger Culos

So what is a chocolate garden?

If you like dark foliage, then that is one way to achieve your chocolate garden. Plant a selection of taller shrubs and ground cover herbaceous perennials. This will give you variation in leaf form and gradation of colour from milk chocolate through to 75% dark chocolate.

For a chic, modern look, plant against a cream coloured wall. If you’re using containers make those cream coloured too. Perhaps you prefer the bold look? Try burnt orange instead of cream.

If it’s the chocolate scented flowers that appeal to you, be sure to plant them where you can appreciate their scent. For example, the chocolate daisy may grow well near where you sit for your morning coffee.

As for edible chocolate gardens, you’ll need to wait for another blog (which is already in the planning stages).

And for those not-quite-real chocolate gardens?

Well, in Ireland there is a chocolate garden factory producing largely vegan and gluten free chocolate treats and ice cream. They also have chocolatier workshops where you can make your own chocolate. Yum.

For the gardener in your life (yes, this can be you or a friend!) there are plenty of chocolate themed gardening gifts. Why not try chocolate garden gnomes and chocolate garden tools for a quirky present? Just remember not to put them on the patio!

If your gardening friend has a particular breed of dog, you could give them some chocolate Labrador garden ornaments. Thereby pleasing both the canine and gardening elements of their life! Yes, that one came to me as I have a friend who is a gardener and has a chocolate Labrador Retriever…

And if you’d like me to design a chocolate themed garden for you, drop Plews an email

For further gardening advice and inspiration, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below and our monthly Tipsheet – You could come and find us on Instagram Pinterest and Facebook too.

If you would like help with learning more about your garden and gardening, why not ask about our bespoke Gardening Lessons, where your classroom is actually your own garden. We can help you learn gardening basics, and also show you how to plan an ornamental border or kitchen garden