Black flowers are relatively uncommon, and gardeners will understand that a breeder (or a blogger) calling a flower black does not make it so. Then when you do find inky black flowers, they’re not easy to photograph. The quality of light can highlight or conceal whatever blue, purple, red and even green tones are present.
My first shot is one of my favourites. Regular readers who visit my blog directly rather than via the WordPress Reader may recognise it from my sidebar, where I used to keep it. It is overdue an outing.
My second naturally lacks contrast, so will be difficult to make out if you’re visiting on a phone, but it is a hellebore too, this time a fully double one.
These violas are the blackest of the flowers I’m sharing today: it’s all downhill from here. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Black Jack? This pirate is marooned.
I’m ending with a houseleek that spends its life looking like a sumptuous double flower.
The blackest are shared for Denzil’s Nature Photo Challenge – I’ll leave others to decide which qualify. The dusky ones are lagniappe.
Susan Rushton 
I love black flowers.
I’m sure I have a black hollyhock picture somewhere, but could I find it…?
We have a black hollyhock that comes out purple.
“This pirate is marooned”??? After I finished groaning, I lifted my coffee mug in salute. I know greatness when I see it. The flowers are fascinating, and some are outright glamorous. That salvia in particular looks elegant to me. I had no idea there were such dark flowers, and I envision gardeners have real fun planning a garden with these.
I did warn you (‘It’s all downhill…’). I saw a much darker Zantedeschia ‘Memories’ yesterday that really was black, but it was inside a marquee, surrounded by people, and I couldn’t get my camera to focus on it.
Well, darn. That would have been quite the capture!
Stunning and unique. The gold lace primila was fantastic.
Primula..
Thank you.
This is a lovely and different take on the challenge. I should have guessed you would rise to it with flowers.
Denzil did request them, so I had to try.
These are all gorgeous, whether truly black or not! I love the hellebores, but the primula is my absolute favourite 😀
The primula was an afterthought, so your comment made me glad I included it.
the double black hellbore is beautiful. this is the first time I’ve seen it.
I think they are fairly unusual, although breeders are concentrating on doubles more.
the science behind these bred flowers is fascinating
All beautiful floral compositions
Thanks, Derrick.
Love black blooms. Love that you also know a good lagniappe when encountered! 😊🤍🖤🥀
Part of my education, as it’s not a word I’ve heard here. We used to have baker’s dozens that had 13 in them, but I’ve never bought a dozen loaves to see if it still applies.
I wonder if any one has ever planted an all black garden.
I was wondering that as I was putting this together. I can see it being fascinating. It would be more green than black, though, most likely.
A black and white border could be fun. I do actually have the black grass Ophiopogon niger which would make a nice edging plant.
Gorgeous 😀
Thanks, Cee.
Beautiful shots, Susan. ‘Black’ is indeed beautiful. 🙂
It is.
Your blacks are indeed fabulous, love the double hellebore and the primulas.
I’m still mourning my double hellebores. I think I have killed five of them so far. None were black.
My hellebores struggled this year. I’m sure my very dark one didn’t flower and the whites were extremely late.