28 Striking Black Flowers & Plants For Inky Hues

Are you considering going a little dark with your garden? You may have a beautiful garden landscape with brightly colored flowers, like red and yellow, with pretty pastels, but perhaps you want something darker and more dramatic. Well, black flowers and plants have become very popular. 

Black flowers add elegance (and mystery) to your garden and help other colored flowers stand out.

We have something for you if you’re curious about what kind of black flowers to get or are curious. We’ve compiled a list of striking black flowers for just about any garden. 

Related reads: For more flora, we’ve got a list of flower quotes and bloom quotes to share, and some of the rarest flowers from around the world make for a fascinating read. 

Are there black flowers that are naturally black?                                                  

There are no naturally black flowers. Most black plants and flowers as we know them are actually dark purple, deep burgundy, dark red, or highly saturated maroon pigmentation. Some of these “black” flowers and plants grow naturally, while they specially breed others for their inky shades. 

With careful selection and breeding, these flowers can appear black, but they are actually deep purple flowers. However, if you find a conspicuously black flower, florists may have dyed them. 

28 types of black flowers and plants   

Here are 28 types of black flowers you can add to your garden:

Quick links to the black flowers we've featured:

1. Queen of Night Tulip

Scientific name: Tulipa 'Queen of Night'

The Queen of Night Tulip is one of the most striking flowers you can find. These deep maroon flowers with light green foliage, certainly stand out. They are tall with single stems that hold a cup-shaped flower. 

Tulips are easy to grow and look beautiful when grown together in groups. Queen of Night Tulips can be paired with white, pink, or bright yellow flowers to create the most amazing view. These tulips are pretty delicate, and you should protect them from pests, wet weather, or excess winds. However, these dark blooms love the full sun. 

2. Black Velvet Petunia

Scientific name: Petunia “Black Velvet.”

If you’re looking for one of the darkest flowers available, Black Velvet Petunia is the closest to black that you can find in the market. They have velvety black petals uniquely shaped like a trumpet paired with light green foliage. Their unique trumpet shape attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.

Black Velvet Petunias bloom from late spring and into autumn. They are quite tender, so you will need to protect them from heavy rain, winds, and frosts. But Black Velvet Petunias love the full sun. 

3. Blackout

Scientific name: Viola Cornuta

This black flower blooms in an intense purple-to-black color from spring to summer. They come in purple with a yellow eye, contrasting your garden. Below the petals is a tall bright green foliage. 

These Blackout flowers also have a beautiful scent, adding a charming presence to your garden. Blackout flowers prefer a partial shade but can also withstand the full sun in cooler weather conditions. These flowers are great for ground cover, containers, and rock gardens but require some extra protection against frost and diseases. 

4. Black Bat Flower

Scientific name: Tacca chantrieri

The Black Bat Flower gets its name from its unique shape, which looks like a flying bat. It comes in a deep purple to black color and light-colored filaments, giving it a more spooky effect. This exotic flower has unusual blooms with brownish-black wing-like sepals, black petals, and appendages resembling whiskers. Black Bat Flowers bloom from early spring to summer you'll find these dark flowers thrive more in a humid tropical climate. 

5. Black Jack Dahlia

Scientific name: Dahlia pinnata

Black Dahlia from the family of Asteraceae is a full-looking flower that comes in a deep red/ deep burgundy color and chocolate brown centers. These flowers are elegant and can grow to quite tall sizes. If you plant these flowers between late spring and early summer, they will likely bloom from late summer to autumn. These black flowers require well-drained soil and full sun to grow and thrive.

If you’re looking for flowers as a centerpiece, these decorative flowers can provide the most striking display. 

6. Black Baccara Rose

Scientific name: Rosa ‘Black Baccara’

Black roses don’t exist, but the Black Baccara Rose is one of the darkest roses you can grow naturally. It is a hybrid tea rose that comes in dark burgundy with hues of black and purple that can give your garden an elegant appearance. Its dark petals sit on a dark green glossy foliage, attracting butterflies and other pollinators to your garden. These black roses also prefer full sunlight and are hardy in zones 7b and warmer.

7. Black Magic Rose

Scientific name: Rosa Hybrida ‘Black Magic’

Black Magic Roses is another tea rose hybrid with an elegant and unique look. They come in dark red and look like your traditional roses but with the appearance of having been dipped into black ink. They have unique continuous blooms, meaning you must trim the grown blooms for the plant to produce new ones. These black roses require full sunlight and moderate water to thrive.  

Related: Click on to our rose quotes for more inspiration from the beloved blooms. 

8. Black Magic Elephant Ears

Scientific name: Colocasia esculenta ‘Black Magic’

Black Magic Elephant Ears are ornamental plants that can keep your living species looking beautiful. They are black plants with dark purple foliage that could appear black under certain lighting. Their leaves are large and come in the shape of elephant ears. These dark purple plants hail from tropical forests in Asia and add a dramatic effect to your garden or space.

These black plants thrive more in indirect sunlight. However, they could also do well when exposed shortly to full sunlight. 

9. Black Coral Bells

Scientific name: Heuchera ‘Obsidian.’

Black Coral Bell or Obsidian Coral Bells are well known for their dense-looking yet attractive dark foliage and flower spikes. These black flowers come with rosy purple undersides, which give this flower an intense look. During summer, its color and beauty are heightened, giving your garden or space an elegant appearance. These black flowers thrive in full sunlight, full shade, or dark shade and well-moisturized soils. 

You may see butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds around these flowers. They also look fabulous when planted in groups for a concentration of black foliage.  

10. Green Wizard Coneflower

Scientific name: Rudbeckia occidentalis

The Green Wizard Coneflower gets its name from its unique appearance. These black flowers look like an acorn with spiked sepals and yellow pollen. The acorn-shaped flower comes in dark purple acorns and light green sepals.

What makes these flowers special is their height. The Green Wizard Coneflower can grow up to five feet tall and is excellent for the back of flower beds.

Its unique look gives your garden an eye-catching appearance. These black flowers are hardy in zones 3 to 10 and require full sunlight to thrive. 

11. Black Beauty Pansy

Scientific name: Viola x wittrockiana

Black Beauty Pansies are a traditional garden staple with a striking but moody twist. They have dark purple flowers with a bright yellow and purple center. These decorative black flowers are great for your flower beds as they are small and bountiful. The Black Beauty Pansy shares similarities with blackout violas, except they are larger and darker. These flowers bloom from early spring through to the summer. For a more varied display pair them with other bright colored flowers to achieve contract in your spring flower beds.

12. Purple Basil

Scientific name: Ocimum basilicum

Purple Basil is a variety of basil with a unique appearance. It features an almost black and purple color or can sometimes be a green hue with splotches of deep purple. These purple-black plants have been used in cooking for centuries. 

Purple Basils originate from the tropics of America, Asia, and Africa and require a sunny location and moist soil to thrive. 

13. Persian Lily

Scientific name: Fritillaria persica

The Persian Lily flower has a dramatic appearance, with its bell-shaped petals in groups of tall spikes. Persian lilies come in black and deep purple color with green foliage. These black flowers grow naturally in locations such as Iran, Turkey, and Jordan and bloom elegantly from late spring to early summer.

Their tallness and dark color give your garden a dramatic effect and look spectacular in groupings and borders. Persian lilies thrive in full sunlight and moist and organic-rich soils. 

14. Penny Black

Scientific name: Nemophila menziesii

The Penny Black or Baby Black Eyes are dainty annuals that feature deep purple petals with white rims around the edges and at the center. It has green foliage, which makes its dark colors pop even more. 

They are low-growing flowers and trail so well in hanging baskets. Penny Black flowers are also great for your containers and borders. These purple flowers thrive in full sun, partial shade, and well-drained soil. Their elegant blooms start from spring through to summer. 

15. Black Pussy Willow

Scientific name: Salix gracilistyla ‘Melanostachys’

The Black Pussy Shrub is a deciduous shrub that comes in rich purple catkins and reddish yellow anthers that adds some colors to your garden. Their glossy leaves are greyish-green, and their anthers are red when young. The leaves start to turn purple, while the anthers start to turn yellow as these flowers mature. 

Black Pussy Willows are great ornamental plants for cutting gardens, borders, and plant beds. These flowers thrive best in full sunlight and moderately moist and fertile soils. They grow easily and are easy to take care of. However, watch for caterpillars, sawflies, aphids, and leaf beetles. 

16. Black Charm Asiatic Lily

Scientific name: Lilium asiatica ‘Black Charm’

The Black Charm Asiatic Lily is a crossbreed between Asiatic lilies and trumpet lilies, producing a black star blossom flower. This black flower is well-sought-after because of its dramatic bloom. These Asiatic lilies are such a deep shade of red that it is often mistaken for black under some types of lighting.

These black flowers are best paired with brightly colored blooms to give your garden a contrasting look. These black blooms also make excellent potted plants and can survive in a vase or container with appropriate soil conditions. Black Charm Asiatic lilies grow well in well-drained soils and full or partial sunlight. 

17. Blacknight Hollyhock

Scientific name: Alcea Rosea ‘Blacknight.”

The Blacknight Hollyhock comes in tall deep purple single flowers with a butter-yellow throat. These black flowers are best grown against a fence or wall or behind a border. They grow well under full sunlight and averagely moist, well-drained soils. They can tolerate other soil conditions but do poorly in wet winter soils. These flowers can also grow under a partial shade during hot climates.

You will typically find hummingbirds and butterflies around the Blacknight Hollyhock. 

18. Black Star Calla Lily

Scientific name: Zantedeschia “black star”

The Black Star Calla Lily, also known as the zantedeschia black star flower, stands out in any garden or space. It comes in a trumpet shape that is dark red to black. The stems are the same color as the flower, and the foliage comes in bright green.

The Black Star blooms from March through to August and grows well in containers and flower beds. It also makes a great potted plant as long as it receives sunlight.

Black Star Calla Lilies grow well in full sunlight to partial shade and moist free draining soil. 

19. Raven ZZ Plant

Scientific name: Zamioculcas zamiifolia

This plant is a variety of the zamioculcas zamiifolia plant or, more famously, the ZZ plant. The Raven ZZ plant starts in green and gradually develops into a black color. These plants are drought-tolerant and require little water to thrive. They also don’t require too much sunlight and best grow in shady locations. 

20. Dark Dimension

Scientific name: Hyacinthus

Dark Dimension is the darkest hyacinth and comes in deep purple flowers and a tubular bell-shaped stem. Each stalk comes with an average of about ten to twenty buds. If you are looking for flowers to complete the bright blooms in your garden, these black flowers make other colors pop. 

Dark Dimension has a pleasing scent that attracts pollinators and adds a floral fragrance and dark beauty to your space. You can grow these flowers in containers and indoors as well. 

21. Mourning Widow

Scientific name: Geranium phaeum

The Mourning Widow flower is a type of geranium that grows in small clumps. Much like its name, these flowers come in a purple, almost black color that sits on green foliage. After blooming, you will need to cut the plant to encourage new foliage growth. 

They are perfect for your woodland garden and start blooming in early spring. These flowers can grow even under unfavorable conditions and do well in poor soil and sunlight conditions. 

22. Black Barlow

Scientific name: Aquilegia vulgaris Columbine

The Black Barlow is bred for cut flower production and is a great addition to your cut flower garden. This perennial flower has double blooms that come in a dark shade of purple and almost black with spikey-looking petals. These petals sit on green foliage. 

Black Barlow flowers are easy to grow, care for, and thrive in most conditions. These flowers bloom around early spring to early summer and are short-lived. However, they have self-seeds that grow very well under the right conditions. The Black Barlow grows well in full sunlight to partial shade and rich, well-drained soil. 

23. Enchanted Sunrise Begonia 

Scientific name: Begonia ‘Enchanted Sunrise.’

These elegant flowers come in large salmon-orange blooms with lime-green veins and a coral pink and yellow center. They can make great houseplants and also look stunning in gardens, containers, and hanging baskets. They can thrive indoors as long as they receive adequate light.

The Enchanted Sunrise Begonia blooms continuously all year round, even during the winter. They grow well under partial sun to full shade, fertile, moist soil, and even moisture. 

24. Hello Darkness

Scientific name: Iris Germanica 

Hello Darkness is one of the darkest of the Iris flowers and can thrive both outdoors and indoors.

Looking at its features, this flower has a bulb that produces up to six to seven purple-to-black flowers and three upright stems. Their petals have a mix of erect and fall petals with narrow leaves. These flowers bloom in the late spring through to the early summer and grow well under full or sheltered sunlight. 

If you’re growing this flower in a pot indoors, you will need to place it close to a bright sunny window ridge. These flowers also require well-drained soils. 

25. Midnight Ruffles Hellebore

Scientific name: Helleborus

Midnight Ruffles, or the Lenten Rose, is a beautiful double flower with many ruffled petals and a yellow stamen. The flower has a cup shape with a deep shade of purple and light green foliage.

Midnight Ruffles bloom from the early spring to summer and grow well in rich, well-drained soil.

These flowers are great for filling spaces under your tree or shrub. They are also a great addition to a woodland garden. 

26. Spilled Wine

Scientific name: Weigela Florida

Spilled Wine is a beautiful deciduous shrub known for its dark foliage before it blooms. These flowers bloom around spring, appearing in bright pink that looks like spilled wine. These flowers look beautiful in groups, containers, and borders. It can grow tall and attracts hummingbirds and other wildlife. Spilled Wine flowers are also easy to grow and take care of. 

27. Black Prince

Scientific name: Solenostemon

The Black Prince is a dark and outstanding plant that produces almost solid black leaves with light green toothed edges giving off a beautiful contrast. However, this plant has blooms that appear lavender in color during summer. Low-maintenance plants are often used as container plants or annual bedding. They can grow under full sunlight or partial shade and rich, well-drained soil. 

28. Silver Lace Black

Scientific name: Primula

The Silver Lace Black Primroses are one of the most stunning flowers you can add to your garden. It blooms in deep brown to black colors with an eye-catching golden eye and silver edging. These very pretty flowers sit on velvety deep green foliage. They grow well in moist locations and will make great additions to the edges of your pond or stream. Just as they are beautiful, these flowers are also delicate, needing only partial shade. They attract various pollinators and have a fresh fragrance. 

Are black flowers rare?

Black flowers and plants are rare because they do not naturally exist. Florists carefully breed these “black” flowers to create highly saturated colored plants that appear black. Most of these flowers are darker shades of blue, purple, and red. They only appear black because of the presence of some pigments, including anthocyanin. 

Some flowers and plants may also appear black due to lighting. Overall, flowers and plants do not produce black pigments, making them a rare breed. 

What do black flowers symbolize? 

What do you think of when you see a black flower? Sadness? Elegance? Well, black flowers symbolize different things.

For example, black roses symbolize mourning, death, despair, and hatred. It could also symbolize obsessive love.

Black flowers could also symbolize something more positive, like elegance, power, mystery, and rebirth. 

Because of their black beauty, these flowers are typically used for Halloween, gothic weddings, and burials.

Related read: Color Meaning, Nature, Symbolism, and Psychology.

Adorn your garden with black flowers 

If you want to add a touch of elegance, mystery, or gothic darkness to your garden, there are lots of black flowers and plants you can choose from. 

Some of these plants are delicate and small, while others are large and spooky. Some may thrive in containers and pots, while others are only suitable outdoors. Whatever the case, you can find the best black flowers for your garden and spaces through our list of black flowers and plants above.