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Coprosma ‘Chocolate Soldier’ 3lt

Name: Coprosma ‘Chocolate Soldier’ 3lt
Brand: Greenleaf Garden Center
SKU: CoprosChocSoldier3lt
Price: 13.5 EUR
Availability: InStock

€13,50

Quantity

Dispatched within 1–3 business days · Carefully packed

Evergreen shrub · Rubiaceae · Glossy chocolate foliage

Coprosma ‘Chocolate Soldier’

Chocolate-toned and dangerously attractive 🔥

Family: Rubiaceae · Pot diameter: 19 cm (3 L) · Height: 40 cm

Glossy chocolate foliage
Compact rounded crown
Deeper tones in cool weather
For mild sheltered positions

Coprosma ‘Chocolate Soldier’ gives evergreen foliage the depth and polish of a genuinely unusual colour palette. Leaves move through rich chocolate, warm khaki and bronze tones, while their glossy surface catches the light and prevents the dark crown from appearing flat. Dense upright-to-rounded architecture contains those colours within a clean outline, immediately adding visual depth and a confident contemporary character.

As a single container specimen, beside an entrance or within mixed planting, it acts as a dark colour anchor that makes gold, silver and vivid green foliage look brighter. It is an excellent designer’s plant, yet has more than enough personality to stand completely on its own.

What makes it special

Colour, gloss and compact structure make it a consistent focal point.

A chocolate palette

Khaki, bronze and chestnut-red tones create depth that a plain green mass cannot replicate.

Natural gloss

The smooth waxy leaf surface reflects light and makes the darker tones look vivid.

A compact silhouette

Dense branching builds a rounded volume and accepts light tip-pruning when the outline becomes untidy.

Why you will love it: it delivers a deep glossy palette and a crisp evergreen form without visual clutter.

In the garden & on the balconyPlacement & plant combinationsFor a bright, mild and sheltered position with freely draining soil.

Planting position

At an entrance, in a modern pot or coastal composition

Place it against pale stone, timber or metal so the chocolate gloss stands out. Good light deepens the tones.

Where frost occurs, keep it in a movable pot and bring it into shelter before severe cold. Protect it from cold, drying wind.

Colour & compatibility

Combinations that work

Chocolate foliage is highlighted by silver, fresh green or warm seasonal flowers. Companions should tolerate sun to partial shade, moderate watering and salt-bearing wind.

Helichrysum italicum — adds silver aromatic texture and crisp contrast with the gloss
Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’ — provides a rounded deep-green mass with compatible light and moderate watering
Carex testacea — adds copper linear movement and shares a preference for mild coastal conditions

Care at a glance

Light

Sun to partial shade; more light deepens the colour.

Watering

Water moderately when the upper layer has dried, with full drainage.

Climate & hardiness

Sensitive to severe frost; shelter below 0 °C is prudent in a pot.

Safety

Keep it as an ornamental plant; do not consume and keep away from pets that chew plants.

Detailed careComplete care guideLight, free-draining soil, moderate watering, light pruning and frost protection.

Light

Provide abundant light. Some shade helps in extreme afternoon heat, but deep shade weakens the colour.

Watering

Water deeply and repeat when the upper layer has dried. Do not keep the root zone continuously wet.

Soil

Use a fertile organic but freely draining mix with neutral to slightly acidic pH.

Feeding

A balanced feed in spring and again in early summer supports healthy new growth.

Pruning

Tip-prune lightly whenever the outline becomes untidy. Avoid heavy pruning close to cold weather.

Winter

Before frost, move the pot beside a wall or into a bright frost-free position and reduce watering.

Development over timeFrom bronze new growth to deep chocolateTones deepen with light and cooler seasons while the crown gradually fills.

Adjustment

After repotting, a short pause may precede steady new growth.

Colour phases

Young shoots begin lighter, then acquire khaki, bronze and chocolate depth.

Mature crown

Light tip-pruning maintains the outline and encourages dense side growth.

Mature habit & dimensions

Long-term maturity

Height 1.2 mSpread 1 mDense, upright to rounded

Side elevation: Indicative natural silhouette; verified mature size 1.2 m high × 1 m wide.

Form through time

Seasonal cycle

EvergreenShrub habitSeasonal foliageupright glossy crown

New growthFresh growth opens around the crown and makes its natural outline lighter.

Cool seasonMature foliage becomes denser and expresses its seasonal colour character more strongly.

The seasonal cycle of Side elevation of the mature form of Coprosma ‘Chocolate Soldier’ remains evergreen, with real changes in foliage age, density and seasonal expression.

What to expect after planting: a steadily fuller crown and darker tones as the plant receives sufficient light.

History & originCultivar originA 1977 New Zealand catalogue preserves both its chocolate appearance and an unexpected detail: the clone is male.

In March 1977, the wholesale list of the historic New Zealand nursery Duncan & Davies already included ‘Chocolate Soldier’ and marked it in parentheses as “Male”. This is its earliest clear commercial trace: before a description survives, the biological identity of the clone had been recorded.

The August catalogue that same year added the image behind the name: “rich chocolate bronze foliage” and upright growth. Within a few months the record therefore connects sex, colour and habit—the three characters that still identify the cultivar.

The RHS now accepts Coprosma ‘Chocolate Soldier’ (m), confirming the male marker printed in 1977. Its first selector and original selection event predate the surviving catalogue and are not named; the documented story begins honestly at the nursery where the plant already appears ready to travel.

Greenleaf for Plant NerdsScience nobody asked forBotanical details for anyone curious about what lies behind the plant’s appearance

The symbol (m) marks a male clone

Coprosma is dioecious: male and female flowers occur on separate plants. The RHS records ‘Chocolate Soldier’ as (m), so this clone produces pollen but cannot carry its own fleshy fruit, even with a female plant nearby.

Stipules between the petioles

At each node an interpetiolar stipule sits between the opposite leaf stalks, a classic diagnostic character of Rubiaceae. This small structure links the mirror plant morphologically with coffee and gardenias more clearly than its appearance suggests.

Frequently asked questions

Six practical answers about position, watering and long-term growth.

01How does the chocolate colour deepen?

Abundant light and cool nights strengthen it; deep shade makes it greener.

02Is it suitable for a pot?

Yes, provided it drains freely and can be moved into shelter when frost is forecast.

03How often should it be watered?

It depends on light, wind and season. Water when the upper layer has dried.

04Is it frost hardy?

Not against severe or prolonged frost. Protect it in very cold weather.

05Does it need pruning?

Only light tip-pruning to maintain its compact rounded form.

06Can it produce berries?

Female Coprosma may set fruit if a compatible male is nearby, but fruiting is not guaranteed.

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Coprosma ‘Chocolate Soldier’ 3lt

Coprosma ‘Chocolate Soldier’ 3lt

Coprosma ‘Chocolate Soldier’

What makes it special

A chocolate palette

Natural gloss

A compact silhouette

At an entrance, in a modern pot or coastal composition

Combinations that work

Care at a glance

Light

Watering

Climate & hardiness

Safety

Light

Watering

Soil

Feeding

Pruning

Winter

Adjustment

Colour phases

Mature crown

Mature habit & dimensions

Form through time

The symbol (m) marks a male clone

Stipules between the petioles

Frequently asked questions

Coprosma ‘Chocolate Soldier’ 3lt — Care & Tips

We take care of the packaging!

With specially designed boxes, we ensure that the plants will reach you intact, no matter what they encounter on the way!

All plants in 3L pots or larger are placed in individual boxes that secure the plant at the base of the pot, preventing it from tipping over.

The cardboard used for the boxes is specially made to provide resistance to potential impacts during transport.

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