QuestionFor a Zone 6 rooftop garden, would you be able to recommend a couple of these? We're mainly looking for a combination of chocolate smell and chocolate color.
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Followup To
Question -
I recently heard about a flower that smells like chocolate and i thought it would be really cool to have that in the back yard where the kids play but I dont' know if it is actually smelling like chocolate or if it just looks like chocolate. I overheard this in a conversation I was not supposed to be part of so I can't go back and ask. Just I was wondering what you thought.
Answer -
My friend, you are in for a treat -- the "Chocolate Flower Farm" (www.chocolateflowerfarm.com/plants2) specializes in these, for the time being, and their entire line is built on Chocolate colored flowers and Chocolate smelling plants.
Wild, eh?
That's the good news. And the bad news is there are a LOT of plants on their menu.
They include a flower I have been hearing almost as much about this year as Roses: The Calla lily.
I know, I know, this whole thing sounds like a hoax. These people however definitely have a gardening business and they sell these in Washington State to anyone who wants to buy them.
I'm partial to the raspberry filled ones.
Thanks for writing.
AnswerRooftop? That means Container Gardening, correct?
We'll gloss over the complexities of Containerized Plants on top of a roof and stick to a basic list of choice chocolates. Unless otherwise noted, they all need a full sun position on your roof.
1. In the dark, Berlandiera lyrata (photo at www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/berlyrata.htm) smells like bittersweet Hershey's Cocoa. By day, it looks like a small-flowered annual Gaillardia. It grows 1' tall.
2. The light chocolate scent at dusk and dark maroon blooms of Cosmos atrosanguineus give it the name "Chocolate Cosmos". Bring container in for winter (same as Dahlias).
3. Chocolate Mint scented leaves are strongly redolent of Peppermint Patties in the Mentha piperita "Chocolate" variety. Very easy to grow and 100% edible.
4. Night-fragrant Nicotiana "Hot Chocolate" is a recent introduction valued mainly for its looks; in Zone 6 it will be an annual.
5. The exotic Chinese Tree Peony will be an expensive and difficult lesson but Paeonia delavayi is worth trying for its high calorie spring blossoms, a striking deep maroon. See www.crocus.co.uk/Catalog/GardenPlants/sale/grasses/christmas/?ContentType=Plant_Card&ClassID=2000003359&CategoryID= for a photo.
6. The Black Calla Lily "Hot Chocolate" (see photo at www.flowersbulbs.com/black_calla_lily.cfm) is an exotic species with a chocolate appearance but no fragrance.
These are the most chocolate-y plants on today's market as far as I can tell. But if you happen to stumble on others, I am all ears, my friend. The Chocolate Lover's Garden is a trend that I have heard about for a few months now. Maybe longer.