I was working at Natureworks the other day and I fell in love with a hydrangea! Hydrangea macrophylla 'Eclipse' has dark maroon, almost black leaves and red mophead flowers. It is so different that it is stunning. As I was talking about it with my customers, I happened to say that it would be great for a GOTH garden! I got that idea from a seed packet that we sold in the winter from Hudson Valley Seed Company in New York with annual seeds for black or dark purple/blood red flowers! It dawned on me that we could design that sort of garden for ourselves using shrubs and perennials as well as annuals.
This is Ligularia 'Pandora's Box'. This is a dwarf variety that blooms in the summer with golden yellow daisy flowers. It only grows 18-20" tall and wide. What always surprises me about Ligularias is that they are not eaten by deer or rabbits!
What about black leaves with red flowers? This is Lobelia 'Black Truffle'. Yes, the flowers are blood red and grow 3-4' tall over these wonderful dark burgundy leaves.
If you want to grow a perennial in full sun with black leaves and orange-red flowers, try
Lychnis 'Lipstick'. It blooms in June and July and reaches 18-24" tall.
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In the background of a sunny or dappled shade garden, add
Aster lateriflorus 'Lady in Black'. This has new growth that is deep, dark purple. I pinch this plant in June and it gets yet another flush of new growth followed by raspberry centered white daisies in October. This is a native selection that is a pollinator magnet. The more sun it has, the darker its foliage is.
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When the plants arrived at Natureworks last week, I took a photograph of the stems against the background of yellow yarrow blossoms. Wow!
Penstemon digitalis 'Dark Towers' should always be included in a design for your Goth Garden! This is a black leaved cultivar of our native foxglove beardtongue. It blooms in late May and June and I don't deadhead it. Instead, I leave the stems and the seed pods on the plants as they stay dark maroon and attractive through the fall.
Of course, a Goth Garden wouldn't be complete without Heucheras! The varieties of this workhorse of a perennial that have black, burgundy, or dark purple leaves are so diverse and showy. Heuchera 'Black Taffeta' is combined here with its opposite, Heuchera 'Autumn Bride' with green foliage and white flowers.
Often, it is the CONTRAST of black leaves against gold one that makes a black plant really pop. In the newly renovated Natureworks front gardens, designer Leslie combined Cimicifuga 'Black Negligee' with a golden Spirea shrub.
Unusual annuals and tropicals can also contribute to this style of garden. This is Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' whose secret is that the undersides of her leaves are deep, rich, dark purple! This is a relative of the old fashioned houseplant Swedish ivy and can easily be brought indoors for the winter.
And then there is the tender perennial Salvia that really lives up to its name. Salvia guarantica 'Black and Blue' has black stems, black calyxes, and brilliant blue flowers! It grows 30-40" tall and is a real attention getter by early fall when it's stunning flowers really put on a show and attract migrating hummingbirds and butterflies.
There are so many more plants that could be included in your Goth Garden! Hellebores. Black annual Angelonia. Black hollyhocks. Black bearded irises. Dark leaved Weigela and Physocarpus. Black tulips. But to end this fun exploration, I will share with you a grass I saw on my travels late last summer.
Andropogon gerardii 'Blackhawks' is a cultivar of a native grass that grows 5' tall. Situate it where the light can come through the leaves in the morning or the evening. It truly is striking. I bought three plants when I returned from my travels and have finally decided where to plant them in my yard. Because they are not eaten by deer, they will get a prime spot in the "back forty", my wild area that is best viewed as the sun sets behind it.
