The color of midnight is synonymous with the witching hour when the dead souls are closest to us, and all is dark and spooky. Imagine the silhouette of a bat, a witch's pointy hat, and, of course, the proverbial bad-luck black cat.
Gardens And 'Black Flowers'
But creepy crawlies and sinister potions aside, the color black or as close as nature gets to it is actually a fun and surprising color to work into your garden, at All Hallows Eve or anytime. From deer-resistant Coal Seam black bearded iris (plant the bulbs now!) to the Sorbet Black Delight viola, which loves the cooler weather, there are foothill-friendly plants to consider planting now to add a shock of near-black flowers or foliage to your garden.
Black bearded iris
Sorbet Black Delight viola
Of the following examples, most are perennial in our climate zone. Black Lace Elderberry (Sambucas nigra) is a gorgeous, large bush with finely cut leaves reminiscent of Japanese maples. The foliage is purple-black, and in spring, it sports soft pink flowers. In autumn, the bush is loaded with purple-red berries that birds love and that you can harvest to make jam or wine. The leaves, stems, and unripe berries are toxic, though, so situate the bush accordingly.
Midnight Ruffles Lenten rose (Hellebore) is perfect for the cool, shady woodland garden. Its near-black blooms with white and yellow centers put on a show from mid-winter through early spring. The plant itself grows to 20 inches tall and almost as wide.
Midnight Ruffles Lenten rose.
The Lenten rose was so named because it usually blooms during the season of Lent. And while there won’t be any flowers at Halloween, the plant was used centuries ago in witchcraft and medicinally, so if you are so inclined, Obsidian coral bells (Heuchera) offers maroon-black foliage on another beloved woodland plant. It prefers part to full shade and sends up tall, slim stems topped with small pink or white flowers in spring.
Bugleweed (Ajuga) is another black plant that, like vampires, doesn't do well in full sun. It is a fast-growing, attractive groundcover with coal-dark green leaves. In mid-to-late spring, it forms dramatic stalks of purple flowers.
Bugleweed (Ajuga)
Victoriana Silver Lace Black Primrose is a rare variety in nurseries but worth hunting for. Its scalloped flower petals are black-brown, edged in white, and whorl around a yellow center.
Garden With Beautiful Halloween Like Black Flowers And Leaves
Black mondo grass is a dense, purplish-black, mounding plant that is great for borders or interspersed among other plants that prefer regular water. It produces dark lavender flowers in summer that are followed by purple berries in the fall.
Thinking about next spring, there are several calla lilies with purple-black blooms. Two other sun-loving, tropical-looking beauties are Black Coral Elephant Ear (Colocasia) and Black Knight Canna, both from 4 to 6 feet tall with giant leaves.
Also interesting: 2019 Houseplant Trends And Greening Up Your Houseplants
Especially good in pots are Black Prince coleus and the velvety Black Cat Petunia.
Getting back to the scary season at hand, how about this dark-as-night Japanese Black Kabocha, a knobby-skinned, almost-black pumpkin with yellow-orange flesh that's wickedly good. Find one now, and you can have the coolest Jack-O-Lantern on the bloc and seeds to plant next year's yummy if not creepy.
Before you go!
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