Don’t be afraid of the dark: adding a touch of gothic horror to your garden can be smart, dramatic and not at all spooky
THE NEW BLACK FIVE FAVOURITE PLANTS
Tall, stately hollyhocks are a staple of the traditional English cottage garden. Subvert their easy charm by choosing the mysteriously dark variety, ‘Nigra’, with its glossy velvety petals. Available from crocus.co.uk.
Sending their silky maroon spathes out from speckled green leaves, these arum lilies add an exotic flavour to patio containers. They also make elegant and long-lasting cut flowers.
From jparkers.co.uk
The purple-leaf false shamrock is ideal in a conservatory or on a sunny windowsill. It’s lovely to look at, its deep-plum leaves folding themselves up at night.
From thompson-morgan.com.
Turn to page 113 of October’s The Simple Things for more black gardens.