Gothic Gardening: Theme Gardens

The Somber Garden

This is the original theme which gave me the idea for Gothic Gardening, and will obviously discuss black (or near-black, since in nature black is a fairly rare color) plants. It seems that about once a month on rec.gardens someone asks the question "Are there any black flowers I can grow?" This list is not all-inclusive, but it's as complete as possible.

Note: I've included many plants in this list that I have no earthly idea of where to find them.

Flowers

Roses

I'm sorry to say, there's just no such thing as a black rose. I could probably write an entire column on near-black roses alone, since this seems to be the black flower everyone wants (but not me...I'd rather have true-black tulips) 'Taboo' claims to be the nearest yet, but I found the flowers to be fairly red. The 'Taboo' rose came from Germany, which does earn it some goth points, but it's still not dark enough for me. In Germany it's known as 'Barkarole'. The experts on rec.gardens.roses recently discussed the question of black roses, and the list of cultivars I have is derived mainly from them. I haven't personally seen many of these roses, so I can't vouch for just how dark they are, and I am most certainly not a rose expert....

(Note: Many people have emailed me to tell me many of these roses are no where near to black. Caveat emptor.)

• 'Ink Spots': supposed to be slightly darker than 'Taboo', and is also supposed to be better able to withstand heat better. One description was "sooty black over fiery red".
• 'Ingrid Bergman': dark red rose, highly recommended
• 'Oklahoma': dark red buds, a dark, purplish red bloom, hybrid tea rose, also highly recommended
• 'Sympathie': a climbing rose with dark red buds
• 'Black Jade': a miniature rose that is dark red reportedly about the same shade as 'Ink Spots'
• 'Brian Donne': another miniature, slightly lighter than 'Black Jade'
• 'Love's Promise': a black/red rose with a raspberry scent
• 'Tuscany' or 'Tuscany Superb': antique roses, deep red with blackish overtones and lots of fragrance
• 'The Squire': a David Austin rose with near-black buds and dark red blooms
• 'Souvenir du Dr. Jamain': a Hybrid Perpetual, deep burgundy, with some purple
• 'Nuits de Young': a purple-black Moss rose
• 'The Prince': a dark red-purple English rose
• 'Papa Meilland': dark red-black in colder climates.
• 'Kentucky Derby': similar to 'Papa Meilland'
• 'Onyx': a Hybrid Tea, dark red-black
• 'Black Tea': not really black, but brown
• 'Deep Secret': red-black buds, dark red flower, fragrant
• 'Black Lady': again, near-black buds and dark red blooms
• 'Cardinal de Richelieu': a dark purple Gallica rose
• 'Deuil de Paul Fontaine': a dusky purple-red Moss rose. Goth points for the name--it translates to 'Mourning for Paul Fontaine'.

Hollyhocks

Found labeled as Althaea rosea nigra ,A. nigra, or 'The Watchman', these are single saucer shaped blooms which are a deep, chocolate maroon. This was grown by Thomas Jefferson....I wonder if he was secretly a goth.....

Snapdragon

The 'Black Prince' cultivar has foliage that is dark green with dark reddish maroon overlay. When it flowers, the blooms are very dark, velvety crimson.

Gladiolus

Cultivars I've seen listed which all seem to be dark black-red, rather than a true black, are 'Morocco', 'Black Stallion', 'Black Swan', and 'Bewitched'.

Canna Lilly

The 'Black Knight' canna lilly doesn't *look* that dark to me. It's supposed to be deep red with burgundy foliage.

Sunflowers

There isn't any such thing as a black sunflower but there are several options for dark colored ones....which are a dramatic change from the big, bright yellow ones people are used to. Deep-hued 'Evening Sun' sunflowers have deep, rich, earthen tones (mahogany-red, rusty bronze, deep gold, burgundy and bicolored combinations all with dark center disks.) Two other dark cultivars I've seen are 'Floristan' and 'Velvet Queen'.

Salvia

Andean Silverleaf or Peruvian Sage, Salvia discolor, has spikes of dark purple-black flowers and silvery foliage. The scent is a combination of fruit, eucalyptus, and resin.

Tulips

'Queen of Night' dwarf tulips are a deep velvety maroon, as is 'Black Diamond'. Supposedly, when tulip breeding was an art several centuries ago, there were black tulips. This is the closest I've seen commercially available. There's also a 'Black' Parrot tulip, which is deep purple and has "whipped" petals, and 'Black Hero' double tulip, which is derived from 'Queen of Night', and has flowers resembling a peony. I've also seen a listing for the 'Black Swan Tulip', Tulipa gesneriana, but I don't know how black it is, or if you can buy it.

Batchelor's Buttons

Also know as cornflowers, there is a deep maroon variety, known as 'Black Ball' or 'Black Boy'.

Columbine

The 'Black Barlow' hybrid has black double flowers, which lack the characteristic spurs of the columbine. Aquilegia vulgaris has a deep maroon and white spurred variety, which is known as 'Magpie' or 'William Guiness'. A. atrata is the Black Columbine, and has purple-black flowers. A. viridiflora has jade green and black flowers.

Cosmos

The chocolate cosmos has burgundy-black flowers and a slight chocolate scent.

Kangaroo Paws

This flower is native to Australia. The Black Kangaroo Paw has flowers and stems which are covered by black hairs--the green barely peeks through.

Fritillaria

F. camschatcensis , also known as the Black Rice Root Lily, Black Lily, Chocolate Lily, or Black Sarana, has bell-like flowers which are ruby-black. F. davisii has deep green bell flowers that are heavily tessellated with purplish-brown so they appear black. F. persica has spikes of very dark plum flowers.

Daylilies

The darkest daylily cultivar I've seen is 'Smoking Gun', which is a maroon-brown-black color with yellow star points. There are lots deep red-black and purple-black daylilies, including 'Eleventh Hour', 'Night Raider', 'Cairo Night', 'Vintage Bordeaux', 'Dominic', 'Ed Murray', 'Khans Knight', 'Midnight Magic', 'Night Wings', 'Super Babe', and 'Troubled Waters'.

Scabiosa

Also known as the pincushion flower, the 'Satchmo' variety is a deep maroon. These are excellent cut flowers.

Hyacinth

'Distinction' isn't that close to black, but is deep cherry with a maroonish-black stripe down the center of each petal. Simply gorgeous.

Dianthus

Dianthus includes pinks, carnations, and sweet william. Dianthus nigricans has very dark flowers, and there is a cultivar known as 'King of Black', which I haven't seen, but I suspect is dark. There is also a cultivar that is deep purple-black with white edging, which I've seen named 'Velvet and Lace' or 'Black and White Minstral'. I've seen mention of a black carnation, but the closest I've found is a deep crimson variety, 'Douglas Phu'. Sweet william, Dianthus barbatus, has a variety called 'Sooty' which is near black and has green-black leaves.

Dahlia

The pompom form of this flower has several deep purple-black varieties available, including 'Glenplace', 'Moorplace', and 'Black Tuber'.

Nemophilia

This is a very short plant with penny sized blooms. 'Penny Black' has flowers black flowers edged with white, and 'Freckles' has white flowers covered with tiny black spots.

Poppy

The peony-flowered poppy has a black cultivar, sometimes listed as 'Black Cloud'. These are a deep purple-black.

Iris

Unlike other flowers, black varieties seem to plentiful in the iris family. Bearded iris varieties include 'Superstition', 'Study in Black', 'Licorice Stick', 'Swazi Princess', 'Night Ruler', 'Hello Darkness', 'Paint It Black', 'Night Owl', 'Black Tie Affair', and 'Before the Storm'. There's the 'Black Gamecock' Louisiana iris. And the chinese iris, Iris chrysographes , has a black, non-frilly flower.

Butterfly Bush

The 'Black Knight' cultivar has blue-black flowers.

Hellebores

Hellebores are one of those flowers that have a range of colors from white to near-black. They are prized by many because they are in bloom in late winter, when not much else is growing, yet alone blooming. The H. orientalis hybrid 'Atrorubens' is fairly easy to find, and plum colored flowers. However, there are blacker varieties out there, they're just more difficult to find. Some blackish-purple strains I've seen listed include 'Alberich', 'Andromeda', 'Ballard's Black', 'Black Knight', 'Castor', 'Pollux', and 'Sorcerer'. 'Nigricans' is indigo blue-black, and 'Philip Ballard' is a very dark blue-black. I've also seen some stunning pictures of H. torquatus, which grows wild in (the former) Yugoslavia. The flower color is variable, with dark plum, violet-black, gray (!), and green inside/ black outside all seen. This is often the species used to hybridize H. orientalis to get the darker colored flowers.

Geraneum

Geraneum phaeum has very dark purple flowers. It was once known as Mourning Widow because it's flowers are so dark.

Sweet Peas

Grown for the blooms, not a vegetable. 'Pageantry' is a beautiful deep red-purple. Sweet peas are found most commonly in mixes, though, and almost all the mixes will include a deep maroon or deep purple one.

Primrose

There are very deep purple primroses that look almost black available at most nurseries. There is also a gold-laced primrose, 'Black and Gold', which has a yellow eye at the center of the flower, nearly black petals, and a rim of yellow on each petal (the "lacing"). There are show auriculas which have white centers and black petals, although the color of the petals is obscured by either a grey-green or green color, so that there's only a ring of black around the center.

Heather

The darkest colored heather I've seen mentioned is a cultivar of Erica cinerea known as 'Velvet Night'. The blooms are supposed to be purple-black.

Rudbeckia

An unusual daisy, 'Green Wizard' has only green sepals (no petals), and a prominent black cone. Very odd.

Viola or Pansy

Violas and pansies are not the same flowers, but are often listed interchangeably. The black pansy really looks black, although you can see the slightest hint or purple around the yellow eye. I've seen it listed as 'Bowles Black', 'Black Prince', 'Molly Sanderson', and 'Black Magic'.

The Gothic Gardening "Black Thumb" award goes to Clive Lundquist for sending all of the following suggestions for black flowers:

Arum conophalloides var caudatum

gorgeous, deep purplish black arum

Eminium rauwolfii

as above but very black . Needs dryness.

Trillium sessile

commoner, blacky/purplish" flower"

Calochortus nigrescens

black hairy flowers but needs warmth & likes it dry in winter.

Rosc oea scillifolia

very black very small short lived flowers

Gladiolus atroviolaceus

needs dry summer, black flowers in spring

Arisaema ringens / triphyllum

black , gorgeously gothy

A. speciosum / griffithii

brownish but still very gothy aroids

Bellevalia pycnantha

deep browny black grape hyacinth.

Muscari commutatum

as above

Iris nicolai

black & white flowers in midwinter (often called I. rosenb achiana black and white)

Ornamentals

Clover

Black 4-leaf Clover, Trifolium repens 'Purpurascens', is actually chocolate brown with light green edges.

Tiarella

False Miterwort has a new cultivar known as 'Inkblot', which has glossy leaves that are green on the edges, but blackish in the center. It has light pink flowers in the spring (cut 'em off!).

Heuchera

The 'Pewter Moon' variety of this plant has purplish black leaves with a silver gloss.

Pussy Willow

The Black Pussy Willow comes from Japan. The catkins are so dark that they appear black against the red twigs.

Black Mondo Grass

Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' is not actually a grass (it's really a member of the Lily family). It has purple-black leaves and small pink flowers which are followed by glossy black berries.

Bamboo

Phylostachys nigra has pitch black stems. Warning: bamboo is usually invasive. Grow it in a pot.

Ornamental Sweet Potato

Ipomoea batatas 'Blackie' has black leaves and stems.

Taro

The 'Jet Black' ornamental taro is actually deep burgundy.

Fountain Grass

Black fountain grass, Pennisetum alope 'Moudry' has ribbon foliage with ebony seed plumes. P. staceum 'Rubrum' has bronze-purple leaves and flower spikes.

Smoke Bush

The 'Royal Purple' cultivar has foliage that opens red, but matures to a deep purple. The flowers are feathery purple plumes.

Carpet Bugle

Ajuga 'Royalty' has midnight purple leaves. This is used as a ground cover, and can be walked on!

Ornamental Pepper

Capsicum annuum 'Black Prince' has black-purple foliage. The young fruits are red , but turn black as they mature.

Durum (ornamental wheat)

'Black Bearded' Durum has cream-colored heads that splay out into 4-6 in. stiff bristles, which turn dark black when mature. 'Black Eagle' has glumes that are partially black and continue onto the awns.

Broomcorn (sorghum)

Two varieties are of interest: 'Black Kafir' has black club-shaped heads. 'Black Amber' has amber seeds covered with a shiny black coating.

Oats

Yet another ornamental grain, the 'French Black' cultivar has jet black heads. All of the ornamental grains work well for unusual flower arrangements.

Vegetables

Tomato

'Black Krim', 'Black Prince', and 'Southern Nights' are all varieties that produce black tomatoes, which are really a dark brown-red or garnet. All of these varieties are heirlooms from Russia. The reason these tomatoes are black is that they retain their green pigment even as they develop the red pigment...other tomatoes lose the green.

Lettuce

The 'Ibis Hybrid' variety is such a dark red that it appears black. Another 'greens' alternative is Tatsoi, which is an oriental green with black-green spoon shaped leaves.

Bell Pepper

There are chocolate peppers, which are really dark brown, but closer to black is the 'Purple Beauty' cultivar, which, as you may have guessed, is very dark purple.

Black Spanish Radish

One of the oldest of heirloom vegetables, black spanish radish has been cultivated since the 16th century. The skin of the roots is deep, deep, purple, almost black, with white flesh. Of course, you can't *see* the roots while it's growing, but you could always prepare a gothic salad of black lettuce, black tomato, black bell pepper, and black radish. :)

Black Aztec Corn

A sweet corn that should be eaten when the kernels are white, but will turn black when fully mature. This was apparently the first corn noted by the Europeans in 1493.

Basil

This is an herb, not a vegetable. The 'Dark Opal' variety has very dark purple leaves. It is excellent for flavoring vinegars and oils.

Snap Beans

The 'Royal Burgundy' or 'Purple Tepee' varieties have beans that are almost black--but unfortunately turn green when cooked.

Fruit