A friend of mine wants a black garden with splashes of red and pink. She sent me an article on black plants and of course it had a bunch of stuff that will not grow well here. I have suggested black mondo grass(was in article) and any of the black elephant ears that are on the market now. I think she might like the diamond series of crepe myrtles that look almost black but other than that I am drawing a blank. I have never had requests for a garden to be black. Anyone have some ideas they can throw out there? The only black stuff I have in my garden is because it died I did have a black coral E.E. that I loved last year but it did not pull through the winter even though it was in a protected spot and we had a mild winter. I know there are some black Iris out there but I do not know if they are hardy or if they are really black and not photo shopped. I am thinking the best way to get a lot of black is through foliage and let the flowers to be the red and pink.

Clockwise from the top center: basil, sweet pepper, japanese eggplant, squash, black beans, corn, hot peppers, tomatoes, center: string beans

Also: black currants, black berries, and some varieties of grapes, carrots, potatoes, cabbage...

There are really dark Coleus, like Coleus (Coleus scutellarioides 'Shiny Shoes')

Pennisetum/Cenchrus 'First Knight' is one the darker Napier-hybrid types.
Napier Grass (Cenchrus purpureus 'First Knight')

Pseuderanthemum atropurpureum 'Black Varnish' is pretty dark, too.
Pseuderanthemum carruthersii var. atropurpureum 'Black Varnish'

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis 'Black Truffle') has darker foliage and red flowers.

For very early spring, there are blackish poppies, violas/pansies, and cornflowers. Viola/pansy plants can be planted in fall to overwinter. The really deep red Snapdragons, like Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus 'Black Prince') , would make good companions. Some strains have darker leaves than others.

There are some nice Dahlias with deep maroon flowers, or with blackish foliage and red or pink flowers. Choosing only heat-tolerant cultivars would be the key with Dahlias since they don't care for hot nights. You'd have to do your research.

Great ideas! Thankyou. I just showed her an example from a ugly photo I pulled from the internet with some plants added. I used black gravel and paving stones and annuals. It is late this year to be planting any perennials now. She is also renting and likes this idea. She is sending photos now of her new place so I will see what I can come up with. Pretend the E.E.'s in after photo are black. Black ornamental peppers, mondo grass, and some annuals that are pink in an easy treated 4x4's box that can be moved when they relocate.

Well, I found my weak point in pulling color together. Black! Black and pink plants on a budget and most black plants that will grow here are not going to be doing much during the winter. I was just playing around but I will have to put some more thought into it this weekend. In all these photos I had limited options on plant material in the program so the E.E. would be black and not a green Alocasia. I really like the idea of the black basil and I have some pennisetum I can share with her although it will need to be overwintered. I personally like the last one the best. That is more my style.

They're all stunning. I like the last one best, too.

There are some black iris out there. I had some but they steadily declined in the ground over the years. My mom had them in pots for many years then gave them to me. I think the clump is down to 4 maybe? The are full on black in bud. After they open they fade to a deep purple but from a few feet away still look black.

I would think they would need to be heat tolerant also......with black gravel that will attract and hold heat in the 100 degree plus summer!!!!!

So this question reopened after I've had enough time to remember a black colored plant and forget it again? Alrighty then. I'll see if I can get my little brain to circle back around to remember it again.

I do know that there's an iris named Superstition that's supposed to be black. One of my favorite nurseries sells them so I trust them when they say that Superstition is black.

Back in the DG days there was someone who always requested a specific plant that had 'black' in its name. That's what I'm trying to remember.

There are black petunias. Oh, and black tulips and roses, too.