Introducing Pantone’s Color Of 2025 - Mocha Mousse!

Charlotte Weidner | February 14, 2026

Pantone has announced Mocha Mousse 17-1230 as the Color of the Year! And we’re already in love with this earthy, warm tone that is a breath of fresh air for nature lovers and gardeners alike!

Mocha Mousse brings a grounded elegance that reflects the growing trend of connecting with nature and embracing its neutral, calming hues.

What better way to honor this color than by including plants with mocha, bronze, and warm brown tones in your garden?

Feel The Allure Of Mocha Mousse!
Plants You Can Use To Include Mocha Mousse In Your Garden
Using Mocha Mousse in Your Garden
Embrace the Beauty of Mocha Mousse

Feel The Allure Of Mocha Mousse!

Mocha Mousse sits in the neutral spectrum, combining the softness of brown with a hint of warmth. It’s a versatile, grounding color that pairs beautifully with almost any palette and the green of plant leaves!

In the Victorian Language of Flowers, browns and tans were used to express emotions subtly. While browns and tans aren’t as common in floral arrangements, they symbolize stability, dependability, and humility—qualities cherished for their simplicity and strength.

Throughout history, brown has symbolized the essence of the earth and the comfort of home. Brown flowers and foliage were seen as grounding, much like the earth itself, representing a return to nature and a love of the outdoors!

From comforting chocolate and coffee to ancient clay pottery and rich leatherwork, this color has been a constant presence in human life. Even if it does seem to fade into the background.

It reflects simplicity, resilience, and warmth, making it perfect for creating serene outdoor spaces.

Plants You Can Use To Include Mocha Mousse In Your Garden

Here’s how you can incorporate Pantone’s Mocha Mousse into your landscape using plants with brown-toned foliage - trees, shrubs, and perennials from Nature Hills Nursery!

Mocha-Inspired Trees

Summer Chocolate Mimosa Tree (Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate'): Warm mocha foliage with a purple overtone all growing season, Summer Chocolate is a finely-textured shade tree with showy pink blooms each summer!
Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud (Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls'): Featuring mocha-toned purple leaves with a weeping form, Ruby Falls is a gorgeous specialty Redbud with the typical pink early spring flowers you love!
Persian Ironwood Tree (Parrotia persica): The Persian Ironwood tree features bark that peels to reveal mocha-toned layers, along with stunning fall colors.

Shrubs With Mocha Foliage or Flowers

Kodiak® Black Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla rivularis 'SMNDRSF'): Chocolatey, darker mocha foliage with a purple overtone, Kodiak® Black is more coffee than black and has yellow blooms.
First Editions® Shining Sensation™ Weigela (Weigela florida 'Bokrashine'): A sweet little shrub with hot pink blooms the hummingbirds adore, Shining Sensation™ features mocha-toned foliage through the growing season.
Burgundy Spice Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus var. purpureus 'Burgundy Spice'): With its dramatic purple-toned chocolate leaves and mocha-hued flowers, Burgundy Spice is a great option.

Mocha Toned Perennials

Bronze Peacock Rodgersia (Rodgersia pinnata 'Bronze Peacock'): Saturated bronzy-chocolate, whorled foliage that is heavily crinkled leaves with toothy edges. Bronze Peacock turns green in the summer, but are festooned in tall pink flowering spires!
Cafe Au Lait Dahlia (Dahlia 'Cafe Au Lait'): A soft pastel Mocha hue, Cafe Au Lait Dahlias bring a subtle creamy twist to this color!
Proven Winners® Toffee Twist Sedge Grass (Carex flagellifora 'Toffee Twist'): The slender, iridescent leaves of Toffee Twist offer an elegant sweeping, trailing habit that stuns all growing season.

Using Mocha Mousse in Your Garden

Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said the color evokes “thoughtful indulgence” and we have to agree!

Using plants with Mocha Mousse-inspired tones is a creative way to bring Pantone’s Color of the Year into your outdoor space. Trees with textured bark can serve as structural anchors, while shrubs and perennials work as smaller accents with warmth and depth.

In gardens, plants with brown and bronze hues provide a natural balance to brighter colors and create a soothing backdrop for vivid greens and flowers of all types.

Pair Mocha Mousse tones with ivory, bronze, coppers, or deep greens for elegance, or contrast them with blush pinks, peaches, and lavenders for a modern twist.

Try adding this soothing color to Zen Gardens and Meditation Nooks
Bring a calming note to seating areas and around a reading chair or hammock
Include this sophisticated and subtle color in formal gardens and foundation plantings
Mix into established gardens to create an extra layer of color
Blends beautifully with dark foliage gardens and among evergreen plants
Include as backdrop plants and backdrop hedges

Include this warming, rich brown hue in your garden for a harmonious look! Pair brown-toned plants with golden yellows, creamy whites, and soft greens anywhere you have a desire for comfort.

Want to make a bold statement? Combine Mocha Mousse with purples or blues for high-contrast, contemporary appeal.

Embrace the Beauty of Mocha Mousse

Pantone’s Mocha Mousse celebrates the timeless connection between humans and nature. By incorporating earthy tones into your garden, you create a space that feels grounded, welcoming, and serene.

From the dramatic bark of the Paperbark Maple to the rich foliage of Coral Bells, Nature Hills Online Plant Nursery offers a wide range of plants to help you channel this year’s most stylish color. Start planting your Mocha Mousse-inspired garden today and enjoy the calming beauty of earthy hues all year long!

Find your perfect Mocha Mousse plants at Nature Hills Nursery and turn your garden into a masterpiece of natural elegance!

Happy Planting!

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Compare Plants

Browse the features and specs side-by-side to find the best fit for your garden.

A table comparing the facets of 3 products
Facet	Summer Chocolate Mimosa Tree View details	Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud View details	Kodiak® Black Bush Honeysuckle View details
Rating
Rating	(3)	(2)	(3)
Type
Type	Tree	Tree	Shrub
By
By	Nature Hills Nursery	Nature Hills Nursery	Proven Winners
Flower Color
Flower Color	Pink	Purple Pink	Yellow
Growing Zone Range
Growing Zone Range	7-10	5-9	5-7
Mature Height
Mature Height	19-21 ft	6-8 ft	3-4 ft
Width
Width	14-16 ft	5-6 ft	4-5 ft
Price
Price	Regular price $289⁹⁹	Regular price $139⁷⁷	Regular price From $26⁴⁹

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I build a garden color scheme around Mocha Mousse without the planting looking muddy or washed out?

Mocha Mousse works best as an anchor tone when balanced with contrasting textures and colors rather than used in mass plantings alone. Pair warm brown foliage like the Summer Chocolate Mimosa or Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud with chartreuse, deep burgundy, or silvery-gray companions to keep the palette from flattening. Layer in seasonal bloom color, such as the showy pink flowers of the Redbud in early spring, to add visual lift at key moments throughout the year. Start with one mocha-toned focal plant, then build outward with two or three complementary plants in contrasting hues to create depth and prevent that washed-out effect.

Which flowering plants work best to echo Pantone Mocha Mousse tones in borders, beds, and containers?

For borders and beds, Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud delivers mocha-toned purple foliage alongside pink spring blooms and thrives in zones 5-9, while Summer Chocolate Mimosa Tree brings warm brown-purple leaves and showy pink summer flowers to larger spaces in zones 6-9. In containers and smaller beds, look for bronze-toned perennials and shrubs with warm brown foliage that complement the neutral, earthy quality of Mocha Mousse 17-1230. Browse Nature Hills Nursery's full selection of bronze and mocha-foliaged plants to mix textures and bloom times for a cohesive, year-round color story in any garden setting.

Which foliage plants bring warm brown and tan tones into a Mocha Mousse landscape design?

Several standout plants bring warm brown and mocha tones into the landscape. The Summer Chocolate Mimosa Tree (Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate') offers rich mocha foliage with purple overtones throughout the entire growing season, while Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud (Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls') delivers mocha-toned purple leaves on a graceful weeping form. For something more structural, Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica) features peeling bark that reveals warm mocha-toned layers beneath, along with vibrant fall color. Browse Nature Hills Nursery to find the right combination of these trees and shrubs for your specific growing zone and garden style.

How should I approach a Mocha Mousse planting plan differently for a shade garden versus a full sun garden?

In a shade garden, lean on plants with mocha or bronze foliage like heucheras and dark-leafed astilbes, which hold their rich color better without intense sun bleaching them out. In a full sun garden, you have more flexibility to feature the Summer Chocolate Mimosa Tree or Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud, both of which develop their deepest mocha tones with at least 6 hours of direct light daily. Start by assessing your light conditions throughout the day, then select your anchor plant accordingly and build your palette of complementary textures and greens around it.

Which container plants pair well with a Mocha Mousse color palette for patios and entryways?

For patios and entryways, container plants with bronze or warm brown foliage create a stunning Mocha Mousse palette. Consider growing Summer Chocolate Mimosa or Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud in large statement containers as focal points, pairing them with warm-toned ornamental grasses or bronze-leafed heucheras at their base. Layer in cream, blush, or dusty rose flowering annuals like snapdragons or million bells to echo the warmth without competing with the neutral tones. Shop Nature Hills for container-ready specimens and use their Plant Wizard tool to filter by foliage color and your hardiness zone to find the best matches for your space.

How do I find and choose plants with brown, tan, beige, or coffee-colored blooms for a Mocha Mousse garden?

To find plants with mocha, bronze, and warm brown tones for your garden, start by browsing Nature Hills Nursery's curated selection of trees, shrubs, and perennials that feature brown-toned foliage and blooms. Great starting points include the Summer Chocolate Mimosa Tree, which offers warm mocha foliage with purple overtones and showy pink blooms in summer, or the Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud, which features mocha-purple leaves and spring flowers. When selecting plants, consider layering trees, shrubs, and perennials together to create depth and complement the neutral tones with surrounding greens. Visit naturehills.com and search by foliage color or browse the featured Mocha Mousse collection to find the right plants for your hardiness zone and garden style.

Which annuals and perennials fit a Mocha Mousse garden theme and are easy enough for beginner gardeners to grow?

Heuchera (coral bells) varieties like 'Caramel' or 'Tiramisu' are excellent beginner-friendly perennials that thrive in zones 4-9, producing rich mocha and bronze foliage that looks stunning from spring through fall with very little maintenance. Ornamental grasses like Bronze Fennel or Carex varieties bring warm tawny tones and are similarly forgiving for new gardeners. For annuals, look to sweet potato vine in bronze or copper varieties, which fill containers and beds quickly in a single season and require only basic watering and occasional fertilizing. Start by pairing one mocha-toned perennial anchor plant with a complementary bronze annual for an easy, high-impact combination that fits the Mocha Mousse palette.

How can I incorporate Mocha Mousse tones into a small-space garden without making the area feel dark or heavy?

For small spaces, focus on compact shrubs and perennials with mocha or bronze foliage rather than large trees, which can overwhelm a limited area. Pair warm brown-toned plants with plenty of bright green foliage and light-colored blooms to keep the space feeling open and balanced rather than heavy. The Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud is a smart small-space choice because its weeping form draws the eye upward without spreading wide, and its pink spring blooms contrast beautifully against the mocha-purple leaves. Browse Nature Hills' full selection of bronze and mocha-toned plants to find the right scale and combination for your garden layout.

Which shrubs and ornamental grasses complement a Mocha Mousse-inspired planting design?

For shrubs, consider Physocarpus (Ninebark) varieties with rich bronze-purple foliage, such as Diabolo or Center Glow, which thrive in zones 3-7 and provide warm mocha tones throughout the growing season. Copper-toned ornamental grasses like Carex testacea (Orange Sedge) or bronze varieties of Hakonechloa macra add flowing texture and earthy warmth that pairs beautifully with the Mocha Mousse palette. Visit Nature Hills Nursery to browse our full selection of bronze and mocha-toned shrubs and grasses, and layer them with the Summer Chocolate Mimosa or Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud for a cohesive, earth-toned landscape design.

How do I combine Mocha Mousse with accent colors like soft greens, blues, and creams to keep the garden feeling balanced and inviting?

Mocha Mousse tones pair naturally with the green of surrounding foliage, so your existing plantings already provide built-in balance. Layer in soft blue ornamental grasses or lavender for cool contrast, and use cream or white flowering perennials like astilbe or white coneflower to brighten the composition without competing with those warm browns. To pull the palette together, anchor your design with a mocha-foliaged focal point like the Summer Chocolate Mimosa or Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud, then build outward with your cooler accent plants in odd-numbered groupings of three or five for a naturalistic, cohesive feel.