Inspired by Mr. Brown Thumb’s black garden (that stumbled upon recently), I came up with these plants that are easy to grow in a container and feature black leaves or flowers. To be clear, “black” when it comes to plants usually means very dark purple or red, sometimes a very dark chocolate.
Ornamental Plants
- Aeonium – ‘Zwartkop’
- Celosia – ‘China Town’
- Oxalis – Oxalis regnelli atropurpurea, Oxalis triangularis, ‘Charmed Wine’
- Calla Lillies – ‘Blackjack,’ ‘Hot Chocolate,’ ‘Black Forest,’ ‘Black Pearl,’ ‘Midnight Eclipse,’ and ‘Edge of Night’
- Canna – ‘Australia,’ and ‘Tropicanna Black’
- Coleus – ‘Inky Fingers,’ ‘Black Dragon,’ ‘Chocolate Mint,’ ‘Dark Chocolate’
- Cosmos – ‘Chocolate’
- Cranesbill – ‘Cheryll’s Shadow’
- Bachelor’s Button – Black Magic and Black Boy
- Elephant’s Ear – ‘Black Magic,’
- Huechera – ‘Black Beauty,’ ‘Chocolate Veil’, ‘Obsidian,’ ‘Plum Pudding,’ ‘Blackout,’ and ‘Velvet Night’
- Bugleweed – ‘Black Scallop,’ ‘Mahogany’
- Geranium – ‘Dark Lord,’ ‘Espresso,’ ‘Midnight Reiter,’ and ‘Samobor’
- Iris – ‘Black Knight,’ ‘Black Swan’, ‘Old Black Magic’, ‘Ruby Chimes’, ‘Before the Storm,’ and ‘Superstition’
- Dahlia – ‘Happy Single’ series, ‘Bishop of Llandaff,’ and ‘Fascination’
- Scabiosa – ‘Ace of Spades,’ and ‘Chile Black’
- Sunflower – ‘Moulin Rouge’
- Sweet Peas – ‘Black Knight,’ and ‘Wiltshire Ripple’
- Sweet Potato Vine – ‘Blackie,’ ‘Sidekick Black Heart,’ and ‘Sweet Caroline’
- Violas – ‘Black Magic,’ ‘Bowles Black,’ and ‘Molly Sanderson’
Edible Plants
- Cabbage – ‘January King’
- Eggplant – ‘Black Beauty,’
- Kale – ‘Black Tuscany,’ ‘Cavolo Nero’
- Lettuce – ‘Lollo Rossa, ‘Merlot,’ ‘Really Red Deer Tongue,’ ‘Majesty,’ ‘Marshall,’ and ‘Blackhawk’
- Tomatoes – ‘Black’, ‘Black Cherry’, and ‘Black Plum’
- Basil – ‘Dark Opal, ‘Purple Ruffles,’ ‘Red Rubin,’ ‘Osmin Purple,’
- Radish – ‘Black Spanish’
