53 Black Flowers & Plants to Add Bold Drama to Your Garden

Black flowers and black plants lend an air of mystery to your garden. Combined with other colors, they can create dramatic backdrops or add surprising accents. Use black flowers in a gothic garden design, let them complement flowers to grow in fall or try dark flowers like pansies with other plants that bloom in winter.

'Diablo' ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius), pictured here, is a multi-stemmed shrub that flowers in late spring or early summer and drops its dark purple leaves in winter. It offers year-round interest, thanks to its handsome, peeling bark. Hardy in Zones 3 to 7, it's an ideal gothic plant.

The Eclipse® turns heads with its deep purple-black leaves and striking pink blooms. This first-of-its-kind hydrangea offers season-long color contrast, standing out in any garden or landscape. Its dramatic foliage and vibrant flowers make it a must-have for anyone looking to add a bold, black plant to their outdoor space.

The Raven ZZ plant is a must-have for black plant lovers, featuring deep purple-black leaves that add a bold, modern touch to any space. This nearly indestructible houseplant thrives in low light and requires minimal care, making it perfect for beginners. Its glossy, dark foliage makes a dramatic statement in any indoor plant collection.

The deep purple color of 'Stay Classy' sand cherry is just one of the beguiling features of this new variety of Prunus x cistena. 'Stay Classy' has a wonderfully compact habit, is extremely hardy and is a real garden workhorse that will also add visual impact to your landscape. White purple flowers bloom in spring but this deciduous shrub is really all about the foliage which holds its color all season long.

A new spin on the weigela 'Wine & Roses' variety, this perennial flowering shrub is a study in delightful contrasts. Dark, rich foliage becomes even more noteworthy with the appearance of snowy white flowers. Noted for its vigorous growth, this weigela can distinguish itself as a specimen plant in containers or garden beds. But experts say it is often at its best when planted in groupings or en masse in the garden. Deer resistant, weigela grows best in sunny to partly shady locations.

Striking dark burgundy foliage that won't fade in the sun marks the perennial phormium 'Black Adder'. Erect, sword-like leaves make this plant an ideal "thriller" plant in containers and a dramatic stunner in the sun.

An early-blooming rhododendron, this beauty features dark purple-green foliage reaching near-black tones, especially in cooler weather. Bright purple flowers emerge in early spring and are notable for their long-lasting beauty.

Coral bells, or heuchera, are a garden favorite with their mounded habit and heat tolerance. This one lasts even longer than other varieties in summer heat. 'Black Olive' features bronze-black foliage paired with deep wine undersides alongside a spray of dainty pink flowers.

Royal purple double blooms tipped with light gold make 'Midnight Gold' an exceptionally stunning petunia. A tender perennial in Zones 10 and 11, most often petunias are grown as annuals from late spring to the first hard frost. Petunias are in the same plant family as tobacco, tomatoes and potatoes (Solanaceae).

This early flowering mounded and trailing petunia (Petunia hybrida) is easy to grow in containers, mass plantings and the landscape. Gorgeous inky, almost-black petals make 'Starlet Velvet' a garden star.

This compact black eggplant is an All-American Selections winner and a highly prolific plant that produces small, richly colored fruit of 2-3 inches long. Children will be especially charmed by this annual vegetable that performs beautifully in containers and as a dramatic complement to ornamentals in the garden.

Weigela florida is a deciduous flowering shrub introduced in 2022. It features dark burgundy, almost-black glossy leaves. Fuchsia pink flowers offer a dramatic show in spring and a compact, low-mounding habit makes 'Midnight Wine Shine' ideal in the foreground of garden beds.

Compact and easy to grow, this stunner of a rex begonia features almost black twisted, heart-shaped leaves marked with burgundy variegation, silver polka dot spots and a rosy cast. This houseplant will thrive when placed in indirect sunlight and kept in well-drained soil.

A deep, rich burgundy color distinguishes this easy to care for native plant. 'Midnight Express' redbud (Cercis canadensis) is a distinctive specimen tree with foliage that maintains its beauty all year long in addition to pink, pea-shaped blooms in spring.

'SolarPower' is a sweet potato vine with a mounding, spreading habit and bountiful heart-shaped leaves. 'SolarPower''s deep black colors last all season long, offering real presence in mixed-color containers and landscapes.

For a true black bloomer, it’s tough to beat the 'Black Delight' viola. These inky black blooms are a great choice for cool-season plantings in beds or pots and may flower all winter long in mild regions.

Dress your landscape in dark hues with the deep plum leaves of 'Twilight Magic' crape myrtle. Pink flowers appear from midsummer to fall, creating a striking contrast with the near-black leaves. Use this plant as a replacement for disease-prone purple leaf plums. Hardy in Zones 7-9.

Showy and statuesque, Persian lily (Fritillaria persica) graces gardens in late spring with spikes of deep purple-black, bell-shaped blooms. Grown from bulbs, it's a true heirloom plant, appearing as early as 1585 in Turkey, Syria, Iran, Jordan, Israel, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine. Give it a sunny spot with very well-drained soil. Hardy in Zones 5-8.

In early to mid-spring, before much else is flowering, the black blossoms of the 'Dark and Handsome' hellebores appear. Also known as Lenten rose (it blooms around the time of Lent), this perennial is usually ignored by deer due to the thick, leathery leaves. Give it a spot in part or full shade. Hardy in Zones 4-9.

Native to South Africa, 'Cantor Black' calla lily features tall, upright blooms with a glossy deep purple-black hue surrounded by spotted green foliage. This plant is a beautiful addition to summer garden beds and makes a gorgeous cut flower. 'Cantor Black' calla lily also grows well in containers and can be moved inside during the winter.

Spiky teeth along leaf edges enhance the fright factor on 'Black Magic' mangave. This tropical succulent makes a statement in containers or planting beds. Leaf color is darkest in full sun. Plants can overwinter indoors at temperatures of 60 degrees or above. Its leaf color will fade, but the black hue will return in spring after a few weeks outdoors in the sun. Hardy in Zones 9 to 11.

This beauty casts a spell with its chocolate leaves embossed with lime veins. Cocoa 'Enchanted Sunrise' begonia thrives in shade, where its salmon-orange blossoms appear all summer long. Use it in planting beds or containers.

This perennial smolders in the summer garden, its dark black-purple leaves ignited by pink blooms on dark red stems. Like all sedums, 'Night Embers' is drought-tolerant and thrives in sun, although afternoon shade helps prevent leaf scorch in the warmest zones. Flower heads provide winter interest. Hardy in Zones 3-9.

A deciduous perennial, dahlia 'Happy Days Purple' features bronze-black foliage and showy, bright pink flowers that bloom summer through fall. Hardy to 20 degrees.

Smoky chocolate leaves on 'Northern Exposure' black coral bells sound a deep, dark note in planting beds that’s downright ghoulish when paired with the orange blooms of 'Desert Coral’ coreopsis. This coral bells variety is versatile, growing from full sun to full shade. Leaf undersides are red. Hardy in Zones 3-9.

Looking to add some dark drama to your spring-blooming garden? Tulip 'Queen of the Night' features deep, velvety purple flowers that contrast well with bright blue, orange and white spring blooms. Requires part to full sun. Hardy in Zones 2-8.

Lacy, plum-black leaves unfurl on 'Dark Reiter' geranium (Geranium pratense), a type of hardy geranium. The dark leaves provide a stunning backdrop for bright lilac blooms that appear in summer. This tough-as-nails perennial thrives in all kinds of soil in part shade to full sun. Hardy in Zones 4-8.

This black-leafed beauty isn’t your grandmother’s coleus. In addition to its dark personality, 'Black Prince' coleus grows in full sun or shade. Use it in containers to command attention in the thriller role, or tuck it into planting beds to provide a solid background for colorful annuals.

Despite its name, the chocolate lily (Fritillaria camschatcensis) has a notoriously unpleasant odor. The dark purple flowers appear in early summer.

Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' is a mondo grass cultivar that is noted for its purplish-black leaves, bell-shaped pink flowers and globular bluish-black berries.

The Aeonium 'Zwartkop' is a multi-branching succulent that adds a dramatic note with its near-black rosettes.

Native to New Zealand, the 'Purple Tower' cabbage tree features spiky, plum-purple leaves and can be grown in containers both indoors and out. Pair 'Purple Tower' with colorful underplantings to balance its height.

In the never-ending search for the blackest black flower, this award-winning tall bearded iris remains a standard. 'Hello Darkness' features ruffled, obsidian petals and blooms in mid-spring.

Phyllostachys nigra, or black bamboo, has jet black culms and feathery green leaves. It will grow to 35 feet in height. New green culms emerge every spring and gradually turn black. This black bamboo can be shaped to form a dense privacy hedge or screen.

'Red Rubin' is a beautiful red leaf basil that grows and tastes like sweet Italian basil but has purplish red leaves. It's great to add color to salads or vinegar.

Glossy, black 'Diamond Head' elephant ear contrasts beautifully with pink petunias in this summer container. A perennial in Zones 8+, this stunner prefers partial shade and will grow up to 6 feet tall through the summer.

'Black Parrot' tulip features whimsical, flame-shaped petals that are almost black inside. The dark purple hue contrasts gorgeously with light-hued flowers. Plant in fall for late spring color.

On display mid-spring to late summer, 'Sweetunia Black Satin' petunia features almost solid black trumpet-shaped flowers that pop against a backdrop of bright green foliage.

The Echeveria gibbiflora 'Metallica' produces short spikes of red flowers in the summer above huge purple rosettes.

Geranium phaeum, also known as dusky cranesbill, mourning widow or black widow, is a good plant for damp shade. Late spring and early summer flowers are deep purple, maroon or white. It will quickly spread to form a hummock of foliage that is excellent for suppressing weeds.

A popular choice in modern cottage gardens, black hollyhocks feature deep maroon-black blooms on tall stems. The alluring black hue pairs beautifully with yellow yarrow, sunflowers and yellow marigolds. Requires full sun; hardy in Zones 4-10.

'Indigo Rose' was bred at Oregon State University and is the first truly purple tomato offered to home gardeners. It was created to maximize healthy anthocyanins, flavonoids that possibly have antioxidant effects in humans. The fruit on 'Indigo Rose' is as dark as an eggplant. For the best flavor, don't pick the fruit too soon. It needs time to develop the acids and sugars to taste its best.

Unless you garden in the subtropics of the Gulf Coast, Southwest, or Hawaii, this dramatic, shade-loving dark tropical plant is best kept in a container outdoors and brought indoors over the winter. The plant is known by its common name, eternal flame, for its bold yellow blooms that pop against a backdrop of green-black foliage.

A true water-loving plant, this Louisiana iris grows in up to 4 inches of water. 'Black Gamecock’ is a variety that opens 4- to 6-inch blooms with deep purple petals marked with a brilliant gold stripe. It’s an award-winning variety that’s ultra-easy to grow. Plants multiply rapidly in ideal growing conditions. Despite the name, Louisiana iris is hardy as far north as Maine. Look for varieties with flowers in many hues, including purple and blue shades, red, white, yellow and brown. Plants grow 24 inches to 36 inches tall by 24 inches wide. Hardy in Zones 4-10.

This compact pepper has near-black foliage and mature berries, which are edible but very, very hot. The upside? These peppers are full of beta-carotene and vitamin C and rumor has it they even have pain-relieving properties. The plant requires full sun and warm temperatures to thrive. Start seeds indoors two weeks before last frost, then plant when soil reaches 60 degrees.

In the foliage accent world, 'All Black' New Zealand flax is one of the darkest phormiums around and very dramatic in a pot with other dark plants.

Low-maintenance elderberry brings out the best a plant has to offer, combining a tough-as-nails personality with beautiful blooms and classy good looks. It’s native to North America, but European breeding has yielded stunning beauty that fits in any landscape. Elderberries are a go-to home remedy for cold and flu season, and modern research studies have proven that elderberries boast antiviral, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties.

The annual grain called millet is one of several ornamental grasses that feature near-black foliage and seed heads, making it very dramatic as an accent specimen or mass-planting.

Talk about a gloomy plant — until it flowers, that is. Hydrangea macrophylla 'Dark Angel' brightens the shade garden with its color-popping flowers that range in color from pinky red to blue/mauve depending on the pH level of the soil.

Welcome spring with a spooky twist on an old favorite. Black Cat pussy willow trades furry gray buds for deep, dark ones. The fuzzy catkins start out bright pink and silver and slowly fade to black. The plant grows 10 to 12 feet tall and wide, a perfect size for a hedge. Hardy in Zones 4-7.

A must in your Goth garden, this shade-loving perennial boasts deep, burgundy-chocolate foliage beneath brilliant, yellow flowers. This leopard plant variety blooms late summer to early fall in Zones 4-9 and looks stunning as a dramatic border plant.

Ajuga is a commonplace groundcover, but this dark, coppery-burgundy one makes a great foil to taller dark plants such as black mondo grass.