A garden trend predicted for 2022 is bringing darker foliage into planting schemes. Whether you want to go full gothic romance or create a slick contemporary garden, dark foliage and flowers are a great way to do this. If a whimsical cottage garden is more your thing then this doesn’t mean dark colours aren’t for you. Dark, rich hues can be used to offset brighter colours and help them to pop.
This is also a good way to add instant drama to your garden (not to mention a great talking point when you have friends over).
Here are our top plant picks:
Small trees or bushy shrubs
- Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’
- Cotinus ‘Grace’ or ‘Royal Purple’
- Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’ & ‘Black Beauty’
- Lonicera henryi ‘Copper Beauty’
- Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’
- Loropetalum
- Phyllostachys nigra (black bamboo)
Trees
- Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea
- Malus ‘Royalty’
- Acer palmatum ‘Garnet’
- Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’
- Prunus ‘Royal Burgundy’
- Prunus cerasifera ‘Nigra’
- Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’
- Cercis canadensis ‘Forest pansy’
Perennials
- Phormium ‘Black Adder’ or ‘Bronze Baby’
- Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’ and ‘Black Pearl’
- Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurascens’
- Helleborus × hybridus ‘Harvington Black’, ‘Black Swan’ or ‘Double Black’
- Dahlia ‘Black Narcissus’ or ‘Black Beauty’
- Tulip ‘Queen of the Night’
- Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’
Climbers
- Clematis ‘Black Prince’ or ‘Dark Eyes’
- Hedera helix (English Ivy)
Exotic
- Cordyline Australis Purpureum
- Athyrium niponicum f. metallicum (painted lady fern)