Garden Flower Gardens 9 Black Flowers That Will Add Drama to Your Garden These flowers bloom in shades of deep purple and red that are so dark, you'll be seeing black—and loving it in your landscape. By Ann Hinga Klein Ann Hinga Klein Ann Hinga Klein covers breaking news for The New York Times and writes about people and the environment for a variety of national publications. In her more than 40 years of reporting, she has never met a topic she could not cover. She is currently focusing on the urgent issues of environment and soil health. Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 26, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Recebin / GETTY IMAGES Why grow black flowers? In addition to their undeniable wow factor, pollinators love them. Since dark blooms absorb more solar radiation than light ones, says Bobby Mottern, director of horticulture for Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, N.C., that makes them literally the warmest blooms in a garden. "Bees have been proven to prefer warm nectar over cold nectar," he says. That becomes especially important on chilly days in spring, fall, and even winter, when the insects need to preserve their energy. Black flowers also bring character to landscapes and floral arrangements, where darker shades seem to recede while light ones visually advance. "When you use these to juxtapose with each other, you get this fantastic depth perception that makes the garden possibly look deeper or larger," Mottern says. "So it's fun to play with the eye with these darker and lighter colors." We asked Mottern and plant enthusiast Dave Whitinger, executive director of the National Gardening Association, to list their favorite black flowers. Here's what they recommended. 10 Flowers That Bloom at Night—and Glow Under the Moon 01 of 09 Bearded Iris "Blackwater" OGphoto / GETTY IMAGES Dramatic in any color, bearded irises are breathtaking in black. The Blackwater flowers for three to four weeks in inky-purple shades, including an impressive deep purple beard. "If you're going for a black Iris, that's definitely the one to do," Whitinger says. Remove fading blooms to send energy to the rhizomes, roots, and leaves for next season. Zones: 3 to 9Size: 36 to 40 inches tall x 12 to 24 inches wideGrowing conditions: full sun to partial shade; well-drained soil Find Your Gardening Zone 02 of 09 Hellebore "Midnight Ruffles" Charles Hawes / GETTY IMAGES Also called "Lenten rose," this evergreen perennial blooms very early in the season—before Christmas in warm climates—and continues for a month or more. Its bloom isn't actually a flower but a ring of sepals, the typically green outer parts of a bloom that protect a new bud. Dark purple "Midnight Ruffles" opens in deep, dark, double rings of sepals surrounding clusters of butter-yellow stamens. Zones: 4 to 9Size: 12 to 36 inches tall x 12 to 36 inches wideGrowing conditions: part sun, shade, sun; moist, well-drained soil 03 of 09 Hollyhock "Nigra" Marina Denisenko / GETTY IMAGES With deep chocolate-mahogany blooms that unfurl on stems up to 8 feet tall, this antique variety hollyhock steals the show from summer through fall. It's a cottage garden natural and also makes a statement planted in rows along a wood fence. Zones: 2 to 10Size: 36 to 48 inches tall x 12 to 36 inches wideGrowing conditions: full sun; rich, moist, well-drained soil (but tolerates clay, silt or sand) 04 of 09 Hyacinth "Midnight Mystic" Me-che / GETTY IMAGES The first black hyacinth, Midnight Mystic, was released in 2005 and quickly embraced by gardeners for its glossy purple-black blooms and far-reaching fragrance. Avoid adding too much organic matter to the soil when planting to encourage strong, upright stalks. Zones: 4 to 8Size: 7 to 8 inches tall x 3 inches wideGrowing conditions: sun to part shade; loose, well-draining soil 05 of 09 Pansy "Black Beauty" asiantiger247 / GETTY IMAGES Add personality to your spring planters and spooky-cool life to a Halloween porch display with this freeze-hardy annual. Bright yellow centers peer out from black blooms that pair well with the more widely available yellow and purple varieties. Zones: 7 to 11Size: 4 to 8 inches tall x 4 to 6 inches wideGrowing conditions: full or partial sun; well-draining soil 06 of 09 Petunia "Black Magic" Han Xiang Chua / GETTY IMAGES Gardeners call this one the blackest of the black petunias. Its deep, dark blooms look like velvet against the plant's bright green leaves and play nicely with flowers of any other shade. Water container petunias once or twice daily. In the ground, they can go a week between watering but will need more during very hot weather. Zones: 10 to 11 (grown as an annual elsewhere)Size: 10 to 16 inches tall x 16 to 20 inches wideGrowing conditions: sun; well-draining soil 07 of 09 Salvia discolor emer1940 / GETTY IMAGES Also known as Andean Silver Leaf sage, this bushy perennial is native to Peru and produces deep indigo-blue blooms that dangle from ethereal silver-gray foliage umbrellas. "The thing I love about salvias is that almost all of them are attractive to hummingbirds," Mottern says. "And hummingbirds are just one of the most charismatic animals you can invite to your gardens." Zones: 10 to 11 (grown as an annual elsewhere)Size: 24 inches tall x 4 to 20 inches wideGrowing conditions: full sun to part shade; moist, well-draining soil How to Design a Magical Moon Garden Full of Night-Blooming Flowers and Silver Foliage 08 of 09 Sunflower "Black Beauty" Amber Hopkins / GETTY IMAGES "People love sunflowers," Mottern says. "They bring a lot of joy to folks, they're always fun to have in the landscape, and they hold up well in arrangements." This pollenless variety produces loads of 5- to 8-inch, deep maroon flowers with dark green foliage from summer until frost. Zones: 2 to 11Size: 4 to 6 feet tall x 18 to 24 inches wideGrowing conditions: full sun; well-draining soil 09 of 09 Tulip "Queen of Night" ValerijaP / GETTY IMAGES A late-blooming tulip, Queen of Night produces deep maroon-black blooms on sturdy stems that last in the garden and arrangements. Take a tip from the Dutch and plant en masse for dramatic effect. For contrast, create beds or blocks of white, lavender or yellow blooms nearby. Zones: 3 to 8Size: 28 to 30 inches tall x 6 to 9 inches wideGrowing conditions: full sun to partial shade; well-draining soil Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit