Hellebore

Day 91: When a plant is advertised as having "black flowers," it's advisable to take that description with a healthy grain of salt. "Black" in the plant world is the darkest shade of blue or red which can be achieved genetically, and nursery photos likely have been taken of specimens in optimum growing conditions, and may even have been enhanced to emphasize the dark hue. Soil pH can play a strong role in maintaining the "blackness" of a variety, as can the mineral content. The most striking example of that phenomenon in my personal experience has been with the iris called "Superstition." The first few years after I had planted it, its deep purple blooms were as black as I could have desired, but iris tubers are notoriously hard to weed, I eventually dug it up, separated the roots and moved them to a new location. When it flowered the following year, the blossoms were a dark mahogany red! When I realized what was going on, I moved it to a new spot again. It was much happier there, and now produces flowers as dark as those it first bore. My "black" Hellebores are another example. For the first few years, they were as dramatically "black" as the photos in the nursery catalog. As they have depleted some nutrient in the soil, they've faded to purplish-red.

Shirley And Bud

Day 271: If you've been following along for any time, you'll know that I have a fondness for black flowers: tulips, hellebore, hollyhocks, iris and so on. At my former home, I had black Shirley poppies just outside my door, but having not anticipated a move, I didn't think to gather seeds the autumn before I moved. Only this year, I found them available in a single-colour packet (as opposed to being in a mix), so of course I had to add them to the rampant chaos of the Barren Wasteland where they will be allowed to re-seed lavishly. Also known as "corn poppies," the Shirley takes its common name from the English parish where William Wilks served as vicar. An adept horticulturist, Rev. Wilks hybridized Papaver rhoeas to produce a number of varieties, largely in shades of red and pink. Work by his successors led to other colours, including picotee (bordered petals) types and my much-loved black. Shirley and Bud make a handsome couple, don't you think?

Black Hellebore

Day 116: Friends who have known me for any length of time know that I have a passion for "black" flowering plants, i.e., black tulips, black pansies, black iris, etc. None of these is actually pitch-black, black as night, black as a London coal-hole, but rather some shade of purple, and some darker than others. "Black" hellebore is one of the lighter ones, but you can't deny that it is strikingly sumptuous, especially since it frequently holds its blooms over a blanket of snow. Also known as "Lenten Rose," it flowers in late winter and early spring. Its leaves are dark green and palmate, their edges serrated, and at least on my plant, the flowers arise from the center of the clustered stems. This year, mine is particularly lush, but the stalks which bear them are fairly short. Fortunately, one of them had turned its face upward to display the center detail.

That Old Black Magic

Day 245: Mysterious as a midnight rendezvous, "Superstition" is one of the most intense blacks available in an iris, and its color holds well through the blooming period. However, the color is somewhat sensitive to soil conditions, although I haven't determined what influences a possible fade to red. I will say that I was almost tempted to leave these where they were when after two years, they bleached to an unusually rich mahogany, but shifting them to a different part of the garden brought them back to a full black which has been consistent over the last decade.

I love black flowers. The squirrels made off with my "Queen of Night" tulips, though. Like "Superstition," they also hold their strong color throughout their life cycle when other purportedly "black" tulips fade to purple as the blossoms age.