Chocolate cosmos is a tender perennial that delivers one of the garden's most enchanting surprises: deep brownish-red flowers with an actual chocolate scent. Growing 24 to 36 inches tall with delicate, finely divided dark green foliage, this tuberous-rooted beauty blooms continuously from June through September in zones 7 to 9. The small, showy flowers reach about 1.5 inches across and attract butterflies throughout the warm months. Though it won't survive winter outdoors in most climates, the effort to dig and store the tubers indoors rewards you with blooms that smell as good as they look.
18
Full Sun
Moderate
7-9
36in H x 24in W
—
High
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The chocolate scent is genuine and intoxicating, emerging strongest on warm afternoons as you brush past the slender stems. Small, deep burgundy flowers open atop airy foliage that moves gracefully in the slightest breeze, creating a cottage-garden feel despite the plant's tropical origins. Butterflies visit regularly, and the long bloom window from early summer into fall means you'll enjoy the fragrance for months. This plant handles drought well once established, and it asks for nothing more than full sun and average soil.
Chocolate cosmos shines in cut flower arrangements, where the fragrant blooms last well in water and add an unusual dark tone to bouquets. Gardeners grow it as a focal point in borders, in containers on patios where the scent can be appreciated up close, and in pollinator gardens specifically to draw butterflies. It works equally well as a tender annual in cooler zones or as a returning perennial in warmer climates where tubers can overwinter in the ground.
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