Chocolate Vine is a climbing vine, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 8 and shrugs off deer. Its spring flowers are a modest draw for native bees.
Chocolate Vine — the short answer
Chocolate Vine: grown in zones 5–8, full sun, pH 5.5–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 5–8
- Hardy to zone 5a — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.5
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Sun
- Full Sun
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Chocolate Vine on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether chocolate vine actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score chocolate vine against your land's real conditions.
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What Chocolate Vine is
Chocolate Vine grows as a perennial and reaches around 30 feet at maturity. It blooms purple in spring. It's also deer-resistant.
Mature height, bloom period, flower colour and deer resistance: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
How to grow Chocolate Vine
Chocolate Vine grows in USDA zones 5 through 8. Chocolate Vine does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 1,500 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
5-8
Rated hardy to zone 5a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.
Soil pH
5.5 - 7.5
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Sun
Full Sun
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Drainage
well (dry spells)
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
GDD Required
1500+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Mature Height
30 ft
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Start the season right
Plant chocolate vine in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Match the soil
Chocolate Vine prefers pH 5.5 to 7.5. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Cut chocolate vine blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Chocolate Vine thrives
Chocolate Vine is hardy across USDA zones 5 through 8. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 5–8 spans average winter lows from -20°F to 20°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 19 outright and splits 31 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 5–8·Where Chocolate Vine growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Chocolate Vine stands, state by state
Chocolate Vine is rated for zones 5–8 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 19 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 31 more, and 1 sits outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 5–8
19 states
3 of 19 shown
The line runs through
31 states
3 of 31 shown
Chocolate Vine’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 5–8
1 state
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Chocolate Vine
Growing guides for chocolate vine
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — chocolate vine is toxic to dogs and cats (mild severity). Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: Pet Poison Helpline.)
Chocolate Vine offers low value to bees and other pollinators. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Your land is one point inside Chocolate Vine's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Chocolate Vine will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether chocolate vine actually takes. We score it against the mapped and modelled conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Chocolate Vine
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Chocolate Vine in my zone?
Chocolate Vine grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 8 (Rated hardy to zone 5a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Chocolate Vine?
Chocolate Vine is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Chocolate Vine need?
Chocolate Vine needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Chocolate Vine need?
Chocolate Vine prefers soil pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Your report scores your parcel's mapped soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Chocolate Vine attract pollinators?
Yes — chocolate vine's flowers are a modest nectar source for native bees. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Is Chocolate Vine safe for pets?
Chocolate Vine is toxic to dogs and cats with mild severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: Pet Poison Helpline.)
Keep exploring Chocolate Vine
Chocolate Vine state by state
Every state chocolate vine's zone reaches — 20 link straight to that state's chocolate vine growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.