Chocolate Covered Cherry Coleus is a tropical foliage plant that transforms any garden with its dramatic magenta and chocolate-toned leaves arranged in compact 12-18 inch mounds. Native to India's humid tropics, this tender annual thrives in warm zones 9-11 and reaches maturity in 80-89 days, making it perfect for seasonal color from summer through fall. The plant's radiant leaf coloration and manageable size create striking visual interest in borders, walkways, and containers, while its high water needs ensure lush growth in hot, humid conditions.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
9-11
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
High
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam; Organic Matter Preferred
Preferred Temp65-85°F
Growth Stats
18 in
Height
12 in
Width
1 in
Spacing
80–89
Days to Harvest
PeriodAnnual
TypeBush
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
High
Zones
9-11
Size
18in H x 12in W
Growth
Annual
Care
High
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
The leaf color combination is genuinely striking, with deep chocolate tones contrasting against magenta highlights in a way that photographs beautifully and catches the eye in garden beds. This coleus grows as a compact, tidy mound rather than a sprawling plant, so it stays proportionate even in small spaces. The foliage intensity actually increases with sunlight exposure, though it tolerates partial shade, giving you flexibility in where you site it depending on your garden's light patterns.
Common Uses
Chocolate Covered Cherry Coleus serves primarily as an ornamental foliage plant, valued for its dramatic leaf color in mixed borders, container plantings, and patio displays. The compact mounded habit makes it excellent for edging walkways, highlighting shady areas, and creating visual texture in tropical and warm-climate gardens. It's particularly effective in containers where its color can be displayed prominently and watering can be carefully controlled.
Growing Timeline
First Bloom
Does Not Flower Prominently
First Harvest
Not Applicable
Last Harvest
Not Applicable
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 8-12 weeks before your last frost date. Sprinkle seeds on the soil surface and cover very lightly with vermiculite. Keep the seed tray at 70-75°F, which aligns with the plant's 70-85°F germination temperature range. Expect sprouting in 10-20 days.
Transplant Outdoors
Transplant seedlings outdoors after your last frost date has passed. Harden off plants gradually over 7-10 days by exposing them to increasing amounts of outdoor light and air before planting in their final location.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds after your last frost date once soil has warmed, though starting indoors gives you a significant head start on the season.
Pruning
Pinch back the growing tips of young plants when they're 4-6 inches tall to encourage bushier, more compact growth and fuller mounding. As the season progresses, deadheading any flower spikes will direct energy back into foliage production and maintain the tidy mound shape. Light pruning throughout the growing season helps maintain the 12-18 inch height and prevents legginess.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Bloom Time
Summer To Fall
Scientific Classification
Coleus Lour.
Family
Lamiaceae
Genus
Coleus
Duration
Annual
Native Status
L48 (I)HI (I)PR (I)VI (I)
History & Origin
“Coleus, historically known as Painted Nettle, carries deep roots in the tropical gardens of India, where it thrived in sweltering, humid conditions. The Chocolate Covered Cherry cultivar represents the modern coleus breeding work that has expanded beyond simple green foliage into the jewel-toned, multicolored varieties we see today. Plant breeders developed this specific selection to emphasize the dramatic chocolate-magenta color combination that makes it such a distinctive garden presence.”