As a child did you read ‘The Black Tulip’ or try to grow a black rose? Well here are some tips to help you grow black plants in your garden’. Most of my black plants unfortunately are dead but that still leaves 1999 other varieties to choose from.
Foliage
- Certain dark purple leaves look almost black including Cotinus Smoke Tree ‘Royal Purple’, Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’ and Purple Beech Fagus Atropurpurea
- New Zealand flax phormium tenax has various purple varieties. There are also black mondo grasses nigrescens.
- If you want black in the fruit and vegetable garden try a grape vine ‘Purpurea’ or bronze fennel. If space permits the Black Walnut tree has black fissured bark.
Flowers
- Hollyhocks have a black variety not surprisingly called ‘Nigra’ latin name Alcea rosea
- Cosmos atrosanguineus
- Bowles Black violas are very popular and freely available
- Nemophilia menziesii ‘Pennie Black’ is grown from seed and has deep purple to black centres with white edges
- Dianthus ‘Black & White Minstrels‘ is also available as seeds from Thompson Morgan
- Fritillaria persica are dark flowered and provide a contrast with other flowers
- Tulips are still striving to be true black but ‘Queen of the Night’ and Recreado come close.
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