Landscape tip: add drama with black plants
One of the newest design trends in the urban landscape is the use of “black” plants in gardens to create dramatic backdrops or stunning accents.
Strictly speaking, the color of the various plants is not black. Instead expect to find an abundance of rich dark hues that show in bright light as deep purple, midnight blue, eggplant or dark mahogany but appear as true black in shade or on overcast days.
Grouped in beds of vibrantly colored annuals, black plants can be used to create bold patterns and interesting textures. Dark foliage in a walled mass of large plants forms a rich backdrop for a cascade of smaller plants in soft shades of pink, lavender, pale yellow, and peach, acting in elegant contrast to the delicacy of pastels.
The dark pigment in most plants is present in the foliage but there are a number of flowering plants with dark pigmented blossoms, particularly a few varieties of tulips, dahlias, gladiolas, roses and petunias. However, it’s the dark-leaved plants that usually make the biggest statements in the garden, if for no other reason than their very size.
The Big Bertha of the group would have to be the Black Magic elephant ear. Growing to a height of five feet and sporting leaves with a span of two feet and the look of deep purple suede, this variety of elephant ear makes an exotic background for brightly colored plants or as screening to define areas within the garden landscape.
The Black Magic elephant ear and a variety of sweet potato vine called Blackie are now available in area nurseries and are becoming the plants du jour in local gardens. Blackie is a fast growing, twining annual with large, lobed leaves about as the size of an adult’s hand. It works well as a ground cover intermingled with its chartreuse sister, the Margarita sweet potato, or cascading out of containers.
Look for these and other dark foliage varieties such as Red Wine cannas or Inky Fingers coleus at local garden centers and nurseries.
Source: © Alice Dahlgren's AtHome Newsletter
