If you’re thinking about going to the dark side, consider planting Peruvian lily, Black mondo grass or Black Magic elephant ear.
This Peruvian lily , called Indian Summer, has grayish-black foliage and trumpet flowers in orange, red and yellow. Plants with dark foliage are highly dramatic. Their flowers stand out like no others due to the backdrop of their tenebrous leaves.
Although plants are sometimes selected and bred for darker foliage solely for ornamental purposes, there are distinct physiological advantages to plants that have it. In nature, plants with extremely dark foliage are nearly always shade dwellers. Even plants with dark red or purple undersides — indoor plants such as Calatheas and Marantas come to mind — thrive in environments with limited light. Dark foliage absorbs every bit of light that reaches it, as opposed to green-leaved plants that absorb red and blue light most efficiently, but reflect a significant portion of the green light that reaches them, explaining why green is the dominant color seen on most leaves. Yet this question could then be asked: If purple and dark burgundy leaves absorb more light than green ones, why are there not more plants with dark colored leaves? The answer is that the chlorophyll pigment dominant in green leaves is more efficient at triggering photosynthesis — the process by which plants make the sugar that sustains them — than the pigments dominant in darker leaves. If plants with dark leaves are placed in full sun, they run the risk of overheating since dark leaf tissue converts sunlight into heat, which could bring about stress from water loss. Thus, plants with dark leaves are more likely to be found on the dimly lit rainforest floor or in cool or alpine environments. The anthocyanin pigments that predominate in dark leaves also protect them from UV damage and, due to their toxicity when highly concentrated, deter herbivores. It was at a nursery the other day that I started thinking about dark-leaved plants. For some reason, many of their kind were on display and I wondered if these plants, which add some dark emotion to a garden, are becoming more popular — perhaps as Halloween and the gothic black style grow in popularity from year to year. In any case, I was especially smitten with a Peruvian lily called Indian Summer. This variety has dusky or grayish-black foliage whose trumpet flowers show off petals ranging from salmon to orange-red to an occasional yellow with orange markings. The contrast is breathtaking. I spotted Chinese fringe flower with purplish-black foliage and flowers that consists of clusters of pink fringes. The standard types grow into five foot shrubs but you can also find a ground cover variety that stays no more than a foot tall and a white-flowered variety as well. Our own California native coral bells have been bred for deep purple, verging on black, foliage in cultivars bearing names such as Black Forest and Black Pearl. Heuchera is one of the more finicky plants for garden growing since it needs a decent dose of sun to show off its colors but not too much and the smallest amount of excess water will kill it. The most successful Heucheras I have seen are located in quite a bit of shade with some dappled sunlight filtered through and are never watered except by winter rain. They are also heavily mulched. Remember, California natives should not need to be watered once they are established if they are properly situated — in sync with the cultural conditions of their habitat. Ornamental millet is a truly curious species. This member of the grass family, whose foliage resembles that of corn, has burgundy purple cattail inflorescences that turn black as they mature. Black mondo grass , which is actually a member of the lily family, is the most widely planted species of this ilk. Discrete clumps of fountaineque shoots grow eight inches high and a foot in diameter. This particular variety of mondo grass does not make a dense ground cover as clumps are complete unto themselvess. As the Sunset Western Garden Book suggests, they make excellent subjects for patio containers combined with golden creeping Jenny . By now, most indoor plant enthusiasts are familiar with ZZ Plant, but they may not know about its black cousin, Raven ZZ Plant . Both ZZ plants are characterized by tough foliage with shiny leaves and a tiny water requirement. Although successful in well-lit rooms, they can also be successful in dark corners with some ambient light. Their rhizomatous roots store water and allow them to go for extended periods without irrigation. Of all black foliage, the darkest is a Black Velvet elephant ear . It is also one of the most stunning plants imaginable as its gigantic leaves are veined in white. It is strictly meant for indoor growing in Southern California and may be found on Black Magic elephant ear , on the other hand, may be grown outdoors in morning sun where soil is kept moist. You will need to provide it with excellent light or, unlike other dark-leaved species, it will turn green. However, it must be shielded from scorching sun. This is a variety of taro, a food staple in Polynesia, whose tubers are edible when properly prepared. To the begonia collectors out there, Begona Black Velvet, with large leaves that could have fallen from a maple tree, is worth a careful look. When it comes to black flowers, pansy, petunia, tulip, and iris come to mind. Black dahlias are thought not to always represent a high anthocyanin concentration — although this is sometimes the case — but are more likely the result of a virus that prevents expression of conventional flower colors. Not to be forgotten among the black dahlias — that grow up to five feet tall in the manner of arborescent dahlias at large — are bedding dahlias with black foliage that presents a memorable contrast to their yellow or pink blooms. The most famous black flower is black bat flower , that looks exactly like you think it would, whose seeds are widely available from Internet vendors.Chocolate or checker lily , as its two common names indicate, produces highly variable flowers. They can be solid chocolate in color to purple with a checkerboard pattern on the petals to yellow with brown markings. This lily is a geophyte, meaning that it grows from an underground storage organ which, in its case, is a bulb. It is found growing at elevations from sea level to 5,000 feet but is infrequently encountered in the nursery trade. Like the conventional, more ornamental Fritillaries used for bulb planting, its flowers have a lampshade look. In the manner of many other bulbs from arid climates, it prefers dry soil in the summer when it goes dormant. Find its seeds at Do you have a plant with dark foliage or flowers you would like to bring to our attention? If so, send your experience toThings to do in the San Fernando Valley, LA area, March 26-April 3Dodger Stadium debuts new food items and selfie spots this seasonEx-LAUSD employee, tech vendor charged in alleged $22 million contracting schemeTiger Woods arrested on suspicion of DUI after rollover crash, sheriff saysIn the Palisades, a Gelson’s intent to come back from the ashes is reassuring, but locals want to know more In the Palisades, a Gelson’s intent to come back from the ashes is reassuring, but locals want to know more
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