Home and Living

Plants come in a variety of shapes, sizes and also colors. Gardeners have long since capitalized on this cornucopia of variations, and have succeeded in creating breath-taking displays that show off the plants and their surroundings in the most favorable lights possible. Yet more and more serious gardeners are taking advantage of a kind of color that is not usually associated with a thriving, vibrant garden setting: black!

As a matter of fact, there are a wide variety of black and almost black plants out there that would do wonderfully in your garden. There are, of course some limitations you will want to keep in mind to keep your garden still the luscious enjoyable piece of nature that it is. Here is a very basic quickie guide to black plants:

• Introduce black plants into your garden after careful consideration and planning. Think of them as that little black dress that so favorably shows off your skin coloring, hair color, eyes, and bracelet. If you overdo the black, you will drown out the effect you are looking for, whereas a planned planting of black plants will be a great way to showcase your bright reds, blues, yellows, and other colors. Additionally, a clustering of black plants will likely have the effect of creating a hole in your landscape, while pairing them with bright orange flowers will create a seasonal effect you may appreciate in October, but not necessarily in July.
• Keep in mind that not all plants that are sold as being black plants are actually black. Some may only be a very dark shade of red or maybe purple. Do not be surprised if the color lightens a bit with time, but instead be sure to ask your trusted nursery worker if the plant you are purchasing is an authentic black or if it is a deep red or purple, and plan your other flowers in the vicinity to go with that color, just in case your black plant lightens a little bit.
• Be prepared to spend a little extra money. While more and more gardeners have come to like the idea of using black plants in their landscaping, their supply is still outdone by their demand, and so prices are a bit higher than those of other plants. Also consider that plants named “Dark Vader”, which is a member of the iris family, and similar plant names that may be closely associated with (or related to) popular movie and television characters will be more costly than their humbly named counterparts.
• When incorporating your black plants into the landscape, be sure to consider their unique needs. Due to their color, they have less chlorophyll than green plants, and therefore need to have the premium spots in bright sun. If you plant black plants in shady spots, they will appear to create black holes in your landscaping that no amount of bright flowers around them will be able to cure. Be aware of their unique watering needs as well. To prevent them from withering and dying in the heat of a bright sunny spot, be sure to adequately water your black plants, and in the cool of the evening to also mist them a little.
• Specific plants that have been bred to have the black color are the “Black Parrot” and “Queen of the Night” varieties of the tulip plants, the “Black Magic Rose” variety of geraniums with its all black foliage, the “Black Gem” cornflower, “William Guiness” columbine, “Black Prince” daylily, “Bishop Llandaff” dahlia, as well as the “Black Pearl” and “Midnight Eclipse” calla lilies. There are many more different varieties of plants that are also black, but these are the most famous and common.

Of course, did you know that black plants will not only serve to show off your landscape, but will add their dramatic effects to a variety of other settings? Consider using them in planters to accentuate silver or white plants. Use them indoors as potted plants to offset the effect of a light colored wall. Of course, their fantastic effects do not end there. Think of terrariums, which will greatly benefit of the dark backdrop to showcase the brilliant shimmer of the beetles, amphibians, or reptiles you keep within.