Five shrubs to compliment your Mocha Mousse plantings
By Natalie Carmolli for Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Shrubs
Creating a garden that delights your senses and thrives throughout the seasons is all about thoughtful combinations. If you’ve fallen in love with the rich, earthy tones of Pantone® Mocha Mousse, you’re not alone—this sophisticated color brings warmth and depth to any landscape. To elevate your garden design, incorporate this hue into your palette and pair it with plantings that enhance its beauty through texture, color, and seasonal interest.
To start, consider a Mocha Mousse-inspired plant like Proven Winners® Dolce® ‘Toffee Tart’ Heuchera (Coral Bells). With its striking caramel-colored foliage, this versatile perennial adds warmth and texture to shady or partially sunny spots. Its year-round appeal and rich tones make it an excellent choice for bringing this fashionable color to gardens and landscapes. Hardy in USDA zones 4-9, it will reach 8-10” tall and 16-18” wide.
Plant a drift of Dolce® ‘Toffee Tart’ for a lush base of mocha-toned foliage, then pair it with shrubs that transition in color throughout the seasons, adding interest to your garden. Here are five exceptional shrubs that will spice up your mocha-inspired garden for a truly delightful display:
Funshine® Abelia For a pop of vibrant color, Funshine® abelia is a beautiful addition to both formal and casual gardens. Its golden-yellow foliage with hints of orange creates a stunning contrast against the warm tones of Pantone Mocha Mousse plantings. Plus, each flower has tiny sepals that almost perfectly match the popular Pantone shade. This pollinator-friendly shrub thrives in full sun and offers fragrant pinkish-white flowers in summer. Funshine® abelia will grow to a rounded, 2-3’ size and is hardy in USDA zone 6-9.
Kodiak® Orange Diervilla Add fiery fall hues to your garden with Kodiak® Orange diervilla. Its foliage transitions from bright green to bold shades of orange and red as the seasons change, creating a lively and evolving backdrop. Yellow spring flowers attract pollinators, while its ability to thrive in dry or shaded conditions makes it highly versatile. As autumn arrives, shades of mocha emerge in its leaves, creating a warm, toasty effect. Hardy down to USDA zone 3, this native shrub grows 3-4’ tall and wide.
Legend of the Small® Fothergilla For texture and seasonal interest, Legend of the Small® bottlebrush is a top pick. This dwarf variety features compact, rounded growth (2-2.5’ W/2-4’ T) and leaves that transition from green to shades of orange, yellow, and red in the fall. In spring, its fragrant, bottlebrush-like blooms provide a burst of creamy white. The vivid hues of its fall foliage complement the earthy tones of Pantone Mocha Mousse while adding layers of visual appeal. Hardy down to USDA zone 5.
Tiny Quick Fire® Hydrangea paniculata If you’re looking to incorporate classic hydrangea blooms into your Pantone Mocha Mousse-inspired garden, Tiny Quick Fire® panicle hydrangea is an ideal choice. This dwarf 1.5-3’ hydrangea offers early-blooming panicles that transition from creamy white to a soft pink-red, and then finally a dusky tan, echoing the shade of your mocha-colored plants. Its compact size makes it perfect for borders or small spaces, while its easy-care nature ensures it thrives with minimal maintenance. Hardy in USDA zone 3-8.
Midnight Sun® Weigela For a bold splash of color, Midnight Sun® weigela is a showstopper. Its shiny, wide leaves feature vibrant color combinations reminiscent of coleus, perfectly complementing the rich tone of Mocha Mousse. In spring, trumpet-shaped pink blooms attract hummingbirds, adding movement and life to your landscape. This compact, deer-resistant shrub grows to just 1-1.5’ tall and wide, layering beautifully behind Dolce® ‘Toffee Tart.’ Hardy in USDA zones 4-8.
Shrubs are the hardest-working plants in the garden. Once established, most require very little maintenance and reward you with colorful flowers and foliage all season long. You won’t have to look far to find a shrub that compliments any garden planting, including the rich earthy tones of Mocha Mousse. You can find the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrubs mentioned in this article in the distinctive white containers at your favorite garden center or online at Proven Winners.com.
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Pollinators are vital to our continued existence. But you may respond - Winter is here, the pollinators are gone. There are quite a few pollinators that overwinter in or near our garden. click here. for an article that will tell you more about how to encourage pollinators in the winter months.
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