Monday 26 January 2015

Black is Black (Almost).

Henry Ford is reputed to have said you can have it in any colour so long as it's Black.
The plant breeders have been trying to develop black plants without much success.
Here are some of the plants in Our Garden@19 from the 'Dark Side'.


The Black seeds of the Myrtus communis growing in the sunshine in the front garden are on a special plant.  I purchased it during a visit to Great Dixter and foliage from it was used by Mary in Rachel's wedding bouquet. Myrtle has long been used in wedding bouquets to symbolise love.
 Queen Victoria had some in her bouquet which was then planted and sprigs from that bush have been used in all Royal wedding bouquets since.




 Phyllostachys nigra greets you as you enter the Oriental Garden...



...with its shiny  black stems...



...under planted with Opheapogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'.




Acer palmatum 'Pixie' glows with lovely red young foliage turning almost black as it matures.



 Lunaria annua 'Rosemary Verey' leaves have now lost their spotted look and turned almost black.



A similar strain is L. annua 'Chedglow' which can be seen by visiting Anna at Greentapestry:
http://greentapestry.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/seedy-business.html

Euphorbia 'Blackbird' grows in pots along with Violas...


...and the Tulip 'Queen of the Night', something to look forward too.



Ajuga reptans 'Atropurpurea' provides dark ground cover with pretty blue flowers in the spring.


A new shrub last autumn is Hydrangea quercifolium 'Burgundy', which is certainly living up to its name.



Pittosporum 'Tom Thumb' with its 'bad-dose-of-the-measles' look was the inspiration for this post which came from Cathy at Rambling in the Garden...


 ...please click on the link for Garden Bloggers Foliage Day: A bad dose of the measles.
https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/garden-bloggers-foliage-day-a-bad-dose-of-the-measles/

I hope you have enjoyed reading about Our Garden@19, please leave your comments, I look forward to reading them.
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8 comments:

  1. I'm a great fan of black, especially that bamboo. Also a black hellebore that I bought a couple of years ago, although it does tend to get rather 'lost' against its backdrop at this time of year.

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  2. I agree about the bamboo and it is a well behaved one.

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  3. I must admit I have a soft spot for dark foliage too Brian. I like the look of your new hydrangea so must investigate forthwith. The euphorbia looks most impressive too but I dare not risk them as I'm bound to have an allergic reaction :( My lunaria has also got less spotty with time I'm most relieved to report. Thanks for the mention :)

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    1. I had been thinking about buying a H. quercifolium for some time, when I saw 'Burgandy' in the discount area, I didn't have to stop and think!

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  4. Black is the new green :) some gorgeous foliage there Brian, the bamboo is a stunner.

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  5. Very different to the usual hydrangea leaf, isn't it? ps I see I have a mention in this post, thank you!

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    Replies
    1. It is available with different flower colours, it should be labeled H. quercifolia, Cathy

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