Black beauties

The mild disappointment is something all gardeners seeking this colour in their garden usually experience.

Because pigments in the petals of black flowers absorb red, green, yellow and blue light, very little is reflected, but if you look closely a predominant colour is present. Although black is ‘in vogue’ now, as most plants that have unusual features are, gardeners actually used the color as far back as the Victorian era. The latest resurgence of black garden flowers creates a touch of mystery and Goth, even an exotic, sexy element.

The tulips I have are called Queen of the Night. Black can be found in other plant groups as well. The shrub Sambucus 'Black Beauty,' an elderberry, has huge, lemon-scented, pink flowers (usually blooming in late June), which contrast beautifully with its black foliage. Cosmos atrosanguineus, also known as the chocolate or black cosmos, has deep maroon flowerheads with a powerful chocolate scent on warmer days. Colocasia esculenta 'Black Magic' is a dramatic black leaf elephant ear plant. It has large leaves up to two-feet long; plants can reach as high as six-feet. It's recommended for planting in containers with silver-leaved foliage or other tropicals. Dig up the tubers in fall, and store them like cannas and dahlias.

If you fancy roses and are drawn to black, try Black Baccara rose, a hybrid tea variety.

Ipomoea batatas 'Blackie,' known as sweet potato vine, has become a favorite for containers. It's easy to grow and has striking, nearly all-black foliage. This vine loves the summer heat.

The young stems of Phyllostachys nigra 'Black Bamboo,' a new bamboo variety, are green when they break ground, then change to almost black by the end of the first season, depending on their size. Its only borderline hardy in most areas of Nova Scotia, so mulch well.

One of the newest black flowers is a hyacinth called Midnight Mystique. An English firm that purchased three “mother bulbs” in Holland for more than $250,000 developed this cultivar. The company propagated up to 30,000 bulbs that were sold in the United Kingdom. Even at close to $15 per bulb, the Brits bought them like hotcakes.

With the genetic manipulations that scientists conduct now by plucking genes from some species and inserting them in the cells of others, gardeners can expect an even larger colour palette.