Mary Jo, Mary Jo, how does your garden grow?
With Chocolate Corn, Chocolate Nasturtium and Chocolate Sunflowers all in a row.
While many cooks plant a garden full of vegetables, fruits and herbs each spring, Mary Jo Stamper, co-owner of the Aska Lodge B&B in Blue Ridge, Georgia, takes her garden a step further: This is the second year she and husband Bob will showcase a chocolate garden at their north Georgia mountain inn.
“It’s a work in progress to be sure,” says Stamper, who was anxious to see what plants came back from last year. “Our winter was so severe. Fortunately, quite a few plants over-wintered well and are really starting to pop.”
Are you new to chocolate gardening? The idea behind this themed garden is a simple one: plant chocolate-scented and chocolate-colored flowers, vegetables and herbs in any area or container you can. To get started, Mary Jo used and suggests an Edible Chocolate Garden Seed Kit from the Chocolate Flower Farm, which contains a mix of Chocolate Corn, Chocolate Mini Bell Pepper, Chocolate Cherry Tomato, Frosted Chocolate Viola, Chocolate Nasturtium and Milk Chocolate Calendula.
“We began our garden last year with two raised beds, although one of them doesn’t get much sun,” says Stamper, who is planning more shade-tolerant chocolate plants for that area. “We’re also placing more plants in pots this year and using them in our sunnier areas around the inn.”
Stamper, who admittedly gets many of her chocolate garden ideas from the Chocolate Flower Farm, also took matters into her own green thumbs, searching local garden centers for dark-colored and chocolate-scented plants, “I discovered gems like Heuchera, Fleece Flower, Cardinal Flower and Sweet Potato Vine. I also found Chocolate Columbine and the Hyacinth Bean—I just love their dark purple seed pods! We planted eggplants too, since their color was perfect for this garden. It’s all a matter of what size space you have, and sun versus shade.”
Two of the biggest hits from the Aska Lodge B&B’s chocolate garden are Mary Jo’s Chocolate Sunflowers and Chocolate Mint. “Like any mint,” Stamper warns,” Chocolate Mint can take over your garden, so we planted ours in a pot all its own in one of the raised beds. The aroma is incredible, and many a guest would crush some in their hand, smile and say, “Oh wow!” In the kitchen, I use it in any recipe that calls for mint, like our fruit salad topped with an edible Milk Chocolate Calendula—it’s beautiful. And you should see our Chocolate Sunflowers—they’re wonderful!”
If you are interested in planting a chocolate garden, below you’ll find a few resources to help you get started. And for chocolate-garden enthusiasts desiring more personalized tips or suggestions, Mary Jo invites you to visit or call her and Bob at the Aska Lodge B&B in Blue Ridge, Georgia (706) 632-0178 for more information or to plan a stay.
- Dave’s Garden – Just What Is a Chocolate Garden?
- HGTV – Plants for a Chocolate Garden
- Chocolate Flower Farm
- Sensational Color – Chocolate Flowers for Your Garden
- Dying for Chocolate – Chocolate Scented Gardens
Up next, exploring the Aska Lodge B&B’s tips, recipes and ideas for using produce from a chocolate garden in your very own kitchen. Stay tuned for the mouth-watering fun!
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Chocolate gardening? Really I’m new at this chocoholic theme…but so interested to learn more… a yummy-licious post!
All the best,
Gera
My grandkids would love this idea, though they’d probably want to grow cookies and ice cream, too!
I would love to get my hands on some chocolate nasturtiums which do well in my container gardens at my condo.
Amazing! I’ve never heard of chocolate gardening, Sandie. What a fabulous idea! And I love all the info and details in your posting. Such fun!
This post is right up my gardening alley! I have Ajuga ‘Chocolate Chip’ growing in my garden and I’m growing Chocolate Cherry Tomatoes this year
Susan, we also have the Chocolate Chip Ajuga here! Some others are the dark leaf coleus, alternanthera, and red romaine and lollo rossa atsina, both dark leaf lettuce. I saved seeds from our chocolate mini peppers last years, after starting inside they’ve all sprouted and are ready to move outside. Isn’t it fun?!!
Bellini, the chocolate nasturiums look great as adornment on our breakfast plates, and yes, some guests even eat them!
Gera – That’s exactly how I felt when I learned about chocolate gardening for the first time too…interested to learn more!
Lydia – The basic idea appeals to many first-time gardeners (children included), and fortunately there are enough plant varieties that are either chocolate in color (or chocolatey in fragrance) to keep moderate to advanced gardeners challenged and interested as well!
Val – Always good to hear which plants do well in containers. We do a lot of container gardening ourselves, and each year some do better than others.
Barbara – Thank you. Although I wrote the article, Mary Jo should get the majority of credit—she was a wealth of information when putting this post on chocolate gardening together!
Susan – Oh, the Ajuga Chocolate Chip is new to me—I will look into it! Thanks for bringing that plant up in the comments, I hope it encourages others to do the same
Mary Jo – I’m glad you included some of the plants new to your chocolate garden in your comment. Be sure to send in more photos as your garden continues to grow & expand! Thanks again for sharing your gardening adventures here on Inn Cuisine. I’m fascinated & intrigued by theme gardening, and always anxious to hear from folks willing to share their experiences.
Oh, I love the idea of a chocolate garden! Thank you so much for sharing this. And, Sandie, please go to my blog and look at my latest post because I have a mystery find I bought at a bed-and-breakfast’s recent yard sale and I have no idea what it is! I need your help!!!