Van Dycks

About four years ago, I was talking with a well-known Long-Island garden designer. He is originally from England, and keeps up with English garden trends. I asked him what he believed would be the next great garden fad. Without hesitating even a second, he said 'Black plants!' I laughed indulgently. What a silly idea. Imagine my surprise when I began seeing an array of new plants coming on the market with the word black in their names. Of course, the color is not really black. (I am not going to get into the debate over whether black is a color or rather the lack of color.)

The plant colors referred to as black are really dark purples, dark plums, dark burgundies, dark blues, dark crimsons – you get the idea. Sometimes it is the flower color that is 'black', and sometimes it is the foliage.

In some cases, instead of being called 'black' something, their names will feature the words 'night' or 'dark'. Whichever the word, they will be very, very mysterious.

Lest you be wondering what the fuss is about and why people would want these plants in their gardens, I can only tell you that they are amazingly beautiful and versatile too. They are the perfect accents when other plants around them are in paler shades and they rate a 'Wow!' when set against anything chartreuse – which is another popular garden trend.

If you are one of those people for whom Halloween is a year-round celebration – black clothing, black lipstick and nail polish and other Gothic paraphernalia, these plants are definitely for you. Even if you just like an excuse to eat Halloween candy, these 'black' plants can be just the accents you are looking for to jazz up your garden beds or patio pots.

Spring is, in my estimation, one of the happiest seasons in the garden, full of sunny yellows, creamy whites, soft to bright pinks, perky reds and oranges and electric blues and purples. So who would want a tulip called 'Black Diamond' or 'Nightrider'? Me, and you too, I think.

'Black Diamond' is a rich mahogany color that shades almost to black. It blooms in May and at 27 inches tall, will make an elegant statement in your garden in zones 3-8. Classified as a Single Late Tulip, a category that is a combination of the heirloom Cottage and Darwin varieties, 'Black Diamond' is ideal for beds and borders as well as a stunning cut flower. Pair 'Black Diamond' with the sparkling white 'Hofstra University' tulip that blooms at about the same time, and you have a show-stopping combination.

'Nightrider' is a viridiflora tulip with deep blue-purple flowers detailed on each petal with an irregular grass green band. The word viridiflora is derived from two Latin words: viridis meaning green and flos meaning flower. All viridiflora tulips have a streak of green somewhere on each petal. This contrasts dramatically with the basic flower color, which in this case is that seductive deep blue-purple. Try combining it with other viridiflora tulips such as 'Flaming Spring Green', which is white with red stripes and a grass green flame; or 'Greenland', a favorite of mine, with rose pink petals, each accented with a green bar. Fabulous!

We know grape hyacinths (Muscari sp.) as short spikes covered with tiny blue bell-like flowers in the spring. They are perfect edgers for daffodils and tulips when they appear in April-May. A little more exotic that the usual blue muscari is 'Dark Eyes', which blooms with dark blue flowers edged in white.

Black fritillaria (Fritillaria persica), is very different from the better-known showy crown imperials. The 36 inches tall spikes are adorned with very fragrant, deep purple-violet bell-shaped flowers in April-May in zones 5-9. Plant them with other fritillaria or with bright tulips and daffodils. You will be amazed at how beautifully these rather modest flowers set off showier varieties.

Moving into late spring and early summer, bearded iris becomes an instant favorite when they appear in May-June in zones 4-9. Nothing is more beautiful or elegant that these 2-3 feet tall flowers in the most breathtakingly beautiful colors. Velvet, satin --the adjectives are never vivid enough to capture the magical textures of the standards, falls and beards. One of these lovelies is called 'Superstition', with standards and falls of dark, deep purple-black on this mysterious 36 inches tall plant. Spooky!

'Superstition' would look spectacular mixed with other bearded iris, especially white ones such as 'Immortality', which may rebloom in the fall; the slightly ruffled orange colored 'Olympic Challenge'; or the bi-colored 'Loop de Loop' with ruffled white standards and falls edged in deep purple.

If you have a pond or boggy area in your garden, or simply a well-watered border, the Louisiana irises are perfect. One, called 'Black Gamecock' has the velvety blue-black intensity to make any wet area more mysterious. It will grow 24-30 inches tall in zones 4-10.

Columbines (Aquilegia sp.) are cottage garden favorites and resemble little doves swaying on 2-3 feet tall stems. More exotic than most is 'Black Barlow', a recently introduced, fully double flowered plant of deepest, darkest purple. 'Black Barlow' will bloom in May-July in zones 3-8.

A plant that has become an all-time favorite of mine is the perennial salvia called 'May Night'. I really cannot say enough good things about this plant. The deep lavender-blue flowers literally cover the 18-24 inches tall plants, which make long lasting cut flowers.

Reliably hardy in zones 4-9, it blooms faithfully in May and on and on (especially when I am good about deadheading), and is particularly beautiful in combination with bearded iris and peonies in deep pink and lighter shades of purple. 'May Night' was named the Perennial Plant of the Year for 1997.

The deep purple-leafed elderberry (Sambucus sp.) called 'Black Beauty' is a shrub that can be cut back each year to fit into a perennial border. In June-July in zones 4-9, it will bear clouds of lemon scented, pink flowers. They contrast beautifully with the almost black foliage, which grows even darker in the summer sun.

If you love butterflies, invite them to your garden by planting a butterfly bush (Buddleia sp.). One of the most vigorous and hardy of these fragrant shrubs, also called the summer lilac, is 'Black Knight', which is loaded with dense panicles of deep blue-black flowers all summer. Deadhead spent blossoms to keep the flowers coming until frost. The dark flowers make a dramatic setting for visiting swallowtails, painted ladies, monarchs, and all the other butterflies that will visit. Keep your camera ready.

Hardy in zones 9-11 and used as summer-blooming annuals elsewhere, most people think white when they think of calla lilies. Now, they are available in several beautiful colors but none are more exotic than the purple-black 'Black Forest' calla, winner of the 1999 MGA Green Thumb Award.

Tropical plants have become extremely popular of late because of their dramatic flowers and foliage. One of the most popular foliage plants is elephant's ear. Most are green, or marked with white or purple, but one is justly named 'Black Magic'. From 3-5 feet tall, the enormous, rich deep purple leaves are supported on strong stems of the same tint. They are excellent in patio pots all summer no matter where you live. But if you garden in a cold climate, you can lift the tubers just before frost, dry them, and store them in a cool place all winter. Replant them next spring for another exotic tropical summer.

Late summer means that black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia sp.) will soon be blooming all over town. Who could resist their cute button centers surrounded by such a richness of golden colored ray petals? Certainly, not me! An exotic cousin, Rudbeckia 'Black Beauty', shows off the rich darkness of its large center cone, surrounded by tiny golden dots where the petals would surely sprout if they were going to – which they are not. These plants grow 35 inches tall from July-September and are the perfect companions for black-eyed Susan and purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'.

Though their names contain no reference to black or night, I must mention two incredibly exotic dahlias: dinner-plate-sized 'Kenora Macob' and the giant powder puff 'Soulman'. Both are colored the deepest, darkest maroon, and perfectly carry out our theme. They look marvelous with other dahlias in brighter, lighter shades, or in mixed perennial borders. Dahlias bloom in late summer through fall and, unless you live in zones 8-10, their tubers must be dug up after frost and stored over the winter.

And, of course, how could I forget the blanket flower (Gaillardia sp.) called 'Goblin'? Halloween celebrants must certainly have these gaily-colored, daisy-like flowers. Some blossoms have yellow petals with a deep red eye while others are deep red with a yellow eye. Watch out that the goblins don't get you – but in this case that would be a good thing.

More late summer spookiness is provided by magic lilies, Lycoris sp. These beautiful plants need protection where winter temperatures dip into the twenties, but they are well worth the effort. Magic lilies, also known as naked lilies, send up their strap-like green basal foliage in late fall. By July of the following year, the leaves have disappeared, but wait… the leafless flower stalks burst forth in late summer or early autumn and the show begins! Pink magic lily, L squamigera, resembles a small amaryllis with 24 inches tall stalks, each topped by a cluster of exquisite, soft rose-lilac, outward facing flowers that last for two weeks or more. This one is more cold-hardy than most Lycoris species, and should do well in zones 5-9 (protect the bulbs in colder portions of the growing area with winter mulch.

Lycoris “cousins” include the spider lilies (oooooh, spooky!). These plants have a similar habit as pink magic lily, but the flower shape is something else! Each of the 3-7 flowers has extremely long anthers, giving the 8 inches wide cluster a spider-like appearance. White spider lily, L. albiflora, is creamy white and grows 24 inches tall in zones 7-9; red spider lily, L. radiata, is bright red with 18 inches tall spikes in zones 3-9; orange spider lily, L. sanquinea, blooms slightly earlier than the others with salmon orange flowers on 12-18 inches tall stalks in zones 6-9; and golden spider lily, L. aurea, has bright, yellow flowers on 24 inches tall stems in zones 7-9. Won't you be glad you invited these supernaturally lovely. not-so-scary spiders to your garden?

Happy Halloween, and may the dark, black, mysterious colors of the night and these other spooky flowers be with you all year long.