Natural black flowers are probably not the first thought you have when deciding on a colour scheme for your garden.
Planting schemes are more likely to be colourful – yellow daffodils, red dahlias and pink roses. But one of the monochrome shades is popular – think of the famous white gardens at Sissinghurst and Hidcote for example. So why not a black flowered garden? Borders filled with natural black flowers and edged with the black grass, ophiopogon could look really stunning.
Consider the sun catching the velvety petals of viola ‘black magic’ and Tulipa ‘Paul Scherer’, an even darker black petalled tulip than ‘Queen of Night’.
Admittedly the fact that this blog will first be posted on All Hallows’ Eve – Halloween – was part of the inspiration. But the concept of single colour gardens, where shrubs and trees, the foliage and flowers of herbaceous perennials, bulbs and tubers as well as annual bedding plants are different shades of one colour has been mooted a few times in recent garden design conversations.
Monochrome Gardens
A monochrome garden, where black and white predominate could look incredibly chic and modern and would suit a contemporary town house or urban garden setting. Plenty of steel planters would be a must, and you could lay smooth pale sawn pavers for the terrace or coal black limestone for patio. It could suit Art Deco architecture, too, if you were lucky enough to own one of those simple yet stylish buildings.
Although I also think it could be attractive as the front garden of a half-timbered house, where the house has painted white plaster between the black beams. Not the cottage garden you might expect, perhaps, but there’s nothing to say you couldn’t plant such a front garden with cottage garden plants that have black flowers as well as white flowers.
For a garden that you decorate as part of the celebrations for Halloween, the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Mexican Day of the Dead, what types of black flowers are in season?
Winter flowering pansies, sometimes referred to scathingly as ‘winter bedding plants’ will come to the rescue. I do love pansies and violas, they’re so adaptable, and as small perennial plants they keep going for longer than a few short weeks. As well as Viola ‘black magic’, we can add Viola ‘phantom’ to the spooky garden – for its name of course, as the flowers are purple with white phantom faces and a delicate scent.
Heuchera ‘obsidian’ and Heuchera ‘black beauty’ would also give good value at the end of October and throughout the year. Good ground cover plants, they aren’t in flower in the autumn, but plastic black flowers would pass muster by candlelight. (You would be having candle light I assume if it’s a Halloween party?)
Black Flowers – and Fruit
Whilst they may not be in flower in late autumn, there are plenty of classy black blooms for a single colour scheme to give you dark mysterious flower borders at other times of the year.
Black Hellebores, will fill your February and March flower border, followed by black tulips in April and May.
Iris ‘domino noir’ is a stunning bearded iris and with its statuesque form is very Art Deco to my mind. Surround it with the annual double purple black poppy and scabiosa ‘Chile black’
Salvia ‘black and blue’ would add height throughout the season at the back of your black flower border. And for scent you could grow Rosa ‘black baccarat’, Rosa ‘black beauty’ and Rosa ‘black magic’. Plant breeders have found it difficult to create a naturally black rose so the nearest to a black flower tends to be those with deep purple-black blooms.
Black petunias will add interest to summer patio pots; plant them in black containers with the smaller Nemophila ‘penny black’
You can even grow your own black tomatoes – cherry tomato ‘indigo rose’ and the larger ‘Noir de Crimee’
However, the black dahlia was the nickname for a woman murdered in Los Angeles in 1947. So although it may sound sufficiently gruesome for a ‘dead’ party, I don’t believe any plant nursery has named a dark dahlia ‘black’.
For other flower colours and planting design ideas, you could read the blogs mentioned below, search Plews Potting Shed for more, and even get in touch for your bespoke planting scheme whether you fancy black flowers or something more colourful.
And you may like a lucky black cat to complement your new look garden…
For further gardening advice and inspiration, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below and our monthly Tipsheet – You could come and find us on Instagram Pinterest and Facebook too.
If you would like help with learning more about your garden and gardening, why not ask about our bespoke Gardening Lessons, where your classroom is actually your own garden. We can help you learn gardening basics, and also show you how to plan an ornamental border or kitchen garden
Related Gardening articles from the award winning Plews Potting Shed
Halloween props – Five Planting Ideas for Your Garden
Pumpkins, Halloween and the Three Sisters Garden
Why not grow your own witches broom stick for Halloween?
Would You Like a White Garden or a White Flower Border?
Turquoise Birds and Turquoise Flowers
A Chocolate Garden – Planting Design Inspiration
