Love it or hate it, Pantone's Color of the Year, Mocha Mousse, is a warm brown. I've seen it described as 'a natural shade that complements a variety of styles from modern to vintage to boho'. While brown may be easy to apply in interior design, it may be a bit tougher to translate into the flower farmer's repertoire... because, well, brown is the color of our basic canvas: soil. But don't despair! There are options for the grower!
Before I present my list of potential Mocha Mousse flower candidates, I started to think about the color adoption timeline and influence of Pantone's Color of the Year and whether or not you or I should care. I'm not by any means the forefront of design or fashion, if you've seen my farm attire, you are aware of this, but I think some basic knowledge about Pantone's choice can help with crop planning to offer customers a smattering of trendy mocha madness.
It typically takes 6–12 months for the Color of the Year to noticeably affect consumer buying habits. The timeline depends on how quickly industries, such as fashion and interior design, integrate the color into their products and marketing. This also gives the flower farmer a reasonable timeline to plan their crops to have the colors available in the fall right on that 6-12 month timeline.
Brides planning weddings may adopt the color in 12–18 months as trends filter into wedding world, though if a bride has dreamed of pink since childhood, we can likely bet nothing's getting in the way of that dream. I would argue that the Pantone's color pick has been popular for a while and may be a part of a bride's already chosen color palette. If you work with event florists and designers, you likely already grow cut flowers in this palette. 10 years ago Lisianthus Roseanne Brown, Amaranthus Hot Biscuits, Rudebeckia Sahara were hot sellers to my floral designers particularly for late summer and fall events.
With all that being said, we're likely to see Mocha showing up on the runway in in spring collections, though this author would prefer to see Ripened Raspberry...
A Dozen Mocha Mousse-Inspired Flowers for Your Farm
Here’s a curated list of a dozen varieties that you can plan to grow for late summer and fall of 2025 to be right on trend.
-
Dahlia Ice Tea – A farmer favorite with large, orange-brown blooms that become deeper in color as the season progresses. Ice Tea will be available in our tuber sale this winter.
- Chocolate Cosmos – Deep chocolate tones for contrast in arrangements. These can only be purchased as plugs or plants.
-
Rosanne Brown Lisianthus – A unique variety with a warm, mocha hue.
- Vintage Brown Stock – Fragrant spikes in a reddish-brown tone.
-
Chocolate Lace Flower (Dara) – Subtle brown tones perfect
- Scabiosa stellata Ping Pong– Pincushion flowers with earthy, muted tones
-
Cherry Caramel Phlox – Compact cream flowers with a toffee eye.
-
Hot Biscuits Amaranthus – Textural tan stems
-
Rudbeckia Sahara – Subtle caramel, pink, buttery yellow shades
-
Rudbeckia Cherry Brandy – Described as burg, but definitely leans brown.
-
Snapdragon Madame Butterfly Bronze-y group 3-4 snap with floofy, ruffled petals.
- Viola Brush Strokes- an early flowering viola in earthy shades.
Incorporating this trend into your flower offerings positions your farm as a forward-thinking, trend-aware business. The flexibility of Mocha Mousse allows it to serve as a neutral foundation in floral arrangements while adding warmth and depth. From bridal palettes to everyday bouquets, these blooms can elevate designs with a touch of sophistication.