How to Grow Chocolate Flower? A Detailed Guide to Its Cultivation Methods

Chocolate flower, also known as Duranta repens 'Golden Dewdrop' (lace golden dew), is a Duranta in the Verbenaceae family. It is a perennial evergreen shrub plant, native to the tropical regions of the Americas. It is an emerging ornamental flower, introduced and cultivated all over the world, and grown in many places in China. Moreover, its floral fragrance is especially rich, and what is most special is that its fragrance is almost the same as the smell of chocolate. If you do not distinguish carefully, you simply cannot tell the difference, and this is also how it got its name. So what are the cultivation methods for chocolate flower?

1. Chocolate flower is relatively easy to care for and blooms all year round. It can be planted in gardens or in pots. When grown in the ground, the plant can generally be pruned appropriately once it reaches a certain stage of growth, so that it develops into a small tree form with a single trunk or an ordinary shrub form. For potted plants, they can be pruned into a small tree form with a single trunk or a spherical shape. Chocolate flower tolerates pruning relatively well, and pruning can be done reasonably according to the specific situation.

2. Chocolate flower likes light, is relatively drought-tolerant, and dislikes waterlogging. It has few pests and diseases, and can also grow normally in an environment with a small amount of shade. During the growing period, a balanced fertilizer can be sprayed on the leaves, or a balanced slow-release fertilizer can be applied around the plant and into the substrate. After flower clusters are found, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer can be applied additionally.

3. Chocolate flower is relatively sensitive to cold. When grown in northern regions, in winter the plant can be wrapped with plastic film or moved indoors for care, and in spring it can be moved to a garden flower bed.