| According to the Oxford University rose society, no true black roses exist. Some roses sold as black roses are actually dark red or maroon. Indidentally, the petals of many of these dark red roses tend to sunburn easily so the color changes. To see that a dark rose is not truly black, hold it up next to a piece of black construction paper. To make a dark red rose appear blacker, put its stem in water that has black ink in it (or use florist's spray paint). I have listed some roses that have been mentioned when black roses are discussed. Next to some of the roses a very subjective description of the color is given. * Black Jade: dark red miniature -- often mentioned as being very black, * Cardinal de Richelieu: dark purple Gallica, * Chateau de Clos-Vougeot: HT, deep red blossoms, blackish highlights, poor growth, * Francis Dubreuil: Tea rose, * Guinee: very, very dark red, * Mr. Lincoln: HT, dark red, * Nuits de Young purple Moss rose, * Oklahoma: HT, deep crimson, * Souvenir du Dr Jamain: Hybrid Perpetual, dark red/maroon, * Sympathie: deep red climber,* Taboo: Popular dark rose that has deep red flowers with darker edges (it reportedly has nearly black buds), * The Prince: English rose, very, very dark red/purple, * Tuscany Superb: Gallica, deep maroon velvet. Incidentally, I have heard reports that 'Taboo' mentioned above(obtained from Jackson & Perkins, 1-800-292-4769), is absolutely breathtaking. An internet search using the rose names above should yield some sources for you. |
