the dark side
Gothic? Perhaps. Gorgeous? Definitely. Try black to add depth and a touch of drama to your garden
Black flowers and plants have fascinated people for centuries. Plant hunters have combed fever-ridden jungles for fabled rarities; breeders have devoted lifetimes to the quest for pitchperfect leaves and petals. No plants, however, are truly, purely black. Their sooty tones are the result of an extreme darkening of red and purple pigments combined with a velvety or matt surface that absorbs rather than reflects the light.
These sombre beauties are enjoying a fashion moment again, as was evident at the Chelsea Flower Show in the UK last month. Top landscape designer Dan Pearson said he was particularly looking for “plants for a shady garden planted in Gothic shades of green and black”. He found them at the jewel-box stand of bulb specialist Jacques Amand (jacquesamandintl.com): sinister cobra lilies ( Arisaema spp.), birthworts ( Asarum spp.) and spidery green herb Paris ( Paris
polyphylla), all shade lovers. Outdoors in the gardens things were more light-hearted, in particular a planting of the wonderfully dark yet fiery double Aquilegia ‘Black Barlow’, dancing with the spires of
Lysimachia ‘Beaujolais’ (deep maroon and white) in a small square meadow.
And in the stylish Night Sky Garden, black walls and circular black ponds offset starry plantings of white, blue and purple designed to reflect the Milky Way. These are the two basic ways to enjoy black in the garden: in lively sun, where it adds depth and sparkle, or in atmospheric shade for moody drama.