Podocarpus Chocolate Box - Steineibe

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

The Podocarpus is an evergreen conifer from the Podocarpaceae family, which includes 19 genera and more than 150 species, most of which are completely unknown in our latitudes. These plants come from temperate and warm zones in different continents, including Australasia. Many dwarf Podocarpus are native to the subalpine zone of New Zealand and Tasmania.

The 'Chocolate Box' variety is hardier than many others as it can withstand temperatures down to -12°C in well-drained soil, making it suitable for planting in the ground in most gardens. With a slow growth rate, it forms a prickly bush, potentially slightly spreading, reaching 80 to 100 cm in all directions after 10 years of planting or more. Its evergreen foliage is composed of very small leaves measuring 1 cm long and 2 to 3 mm wide. When they emerge in spring, they are green-bronze before turning dark green in summer, and then take on a very original chocolate color in response to the cold in autumn and especially in winter. Its inconspicuous yellow-green flowering occurs in summer, but its red fruits measuring 5 to 10 mm in diameter, loved by birds but toxic to many mammals (including humans), are particularly appreciated. Its slightly unkempt appearance is due to branches that grow in a slightly disorderly manner in all directions. It does not require pruning, but it tolerates it very well if you wish to give it a specific shape or guide it as a low hedge.
This miniature shrub grows in fertile, neutral to slightly acidic soil, remaining moist in summer but well-drained in winter. It enjoys full sun but also tolerates partial shade. It withstands coastal climates well, and its hardiness is satisfactory for most of the French territory, but as it adapts very well to container cultivation, you can also enjoy its beautiful foliage in truly cold regions. Just shelter it in an unheated room with a window during extreme cold spells. 

The Podocarpus 'Chocolate Box' will find its place in a small garden in a mild and humid climate, in a flower bed or rock garden. It will be displayed like a rare and precious object in a large pot on the terrace or balcony, which will protect it from the coldest winters. Its astonishing winter coloration encourages planting it alongside colorful foliage conifers, such as the Taxus baccata 'Ivory Tower', a columnar Yew with yellow variegated foliage in summer and cream in winter, creating a contrast in both color and form with 'Chocolate Box' throughout the year. A backdrop of Hamamelis mollis Pallida with its yellow winter flowering will also allow you to create an unusual and colorful scene in autumn when the foliage of this Witch Hazel turns yellow.