Podocarpus Chocolate Box

Forming a small bush with an erect to spreading habit, Podocarpus 'Chocolate Box' is a charming small conifer. Its evergreen foliage changes colour with the seasons. Its tiny leaves are bronze when they emerge before turning dark green in the growing season. When the first cold weather arrives, the foliage takes on a surprising chocolate hue that persists throughout winter. Its growth is rather slow, and it prefers cool, light, neutral to acidic soils. Hardy, it grows in full sun or partial shade and adapts well to container cultivation.

Podocarpus is an evergreen conifer from the Podocarpaceae family, which includes 19 genera and over 150 species, most of which are unknown in our latitudes. They are plants from temperate and warm zones of different continents, including Australasia. Many dwarf Podocarpus species originate from the sub-alpine zone of New Zealand and Tasmania.

The 'Chocolate Box' variety is more hardy than many others, as it can withstand temperatures down to -12°C (10.4°F) in well-drained soil, allowing it to be planted in the ground in most of our gardens. With slow growth, it forms a spiky bush, slightly spreading, reaching 80 to 100 cm (32 to 39in) in all directions after 10 years or so.  Its evergreen foliage is composed of very small leaves, 1 cm (1in) long and 2 to 3 mm (1in) wide. When they emerge in spring, they are green-bronze and then turn dark green in summer, before taking on a very unique chocolate colour due to the cold in autumn and especially in winter. Its yellow-green flowers in summer is very discreet, with the main attraction being its red fruits, 5 to 10 mm (1in) in diameter, which birds love but are toxic to many mammals (including humans). Its slightly unruly habit is due to the branches that grow in a somewhat disorderly manner and in all directions. It does not require pruning, but it tolerates it very well if you wish to give it a particular shape or guide it as a low hedge.
This miniature bush grows in fertile neutral to slightly acidic soil, remaining moist in summer but well-draining in winter. It appreciates full sun but also tolerates partial shade. It tolerates coastal climates well, and it can be successfully grown in a pot.  You can also enjoy its beautiful foliage in truly cold regions. Just shelter it during severe cold spells in an unheated room with a window. 

Podocarpus 'Chocolate Box' will find its place in a small garden in a mild and humid climate, in a border or rockery. It will be displayed as a rare and precious object in a large pot on a patio or balcony, which will protect it from the coldest winter temperatures. Its astonishing winter coloration encourages planting it alongside conifers with colourful foliage, such as Taxus baccata 'Ivory Tower', a columnar yew with yellow variegated foliage in summer and cream in winter, which will contrast with 'Chocolate Box' throughout the year both in colour and habit. A background of Hamamelis mollis Pallida with its yellow winter flowering will also allow you to create an unusual and u scene in autumn, when the foliage of this Witch Hazel turns yellow.