Today's Gardener (todaysgardener.com) participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.
What distinguishes a random selection of plants from a piece of design that can attract the gaze and evoke the mood of your living space? The answer and the key are to establish a visual connection between a plant and a room, harmony, and coherence. To create music your guests will hear.
Use the interplay of colors to achieve that. For instance, use the harmonious shades of orange, pink, or green flowers to build a vibrant, summer vibe. Or, select black and white flowers to create an elegant, minimal, simple yet effective floral display. Black and white flowers are best displayed in a pot of neutral color, shiny, rectangular or round, black or white. Position it against a neutral background. Black and white flowers can make beautiful bouquets too and you can find some ideas for black and white floral bouquets on Pinterest.
1. Anemone coronaria ‘Carmel White’
This is an outstanding flowering plant that features white petals with a central green, black, and navy blue crown. It performs well in zones 7-10 and can grow up to 12 inches tall. The flowers emerge in the spring, though they are not particularly fragrant. It doesn’t attract deer and it isn’t toxic.
Cultivation: Provide partial sun, regular moisture, mild temperature. It is suitable for outdoor containers.
2. Papaver orientale ‘Royal Wedding’
This poppy is a low-maintenance ornamental plant that bears white flowers with black centers in the spring. Butterflies are attracted to it, but not deer or rabbits. It performs well as a pot or bedding plant and thrives in zones 3-7. You can purchase this plant here.
Cultivation: Provide full sun but shelter it in the peak of the summer. Water regularly and grow it in sandy soil.
3. Lilium Asiatic
This flowering species produces long-lasting blooms and is very easy to grow. They mostly come in vibrant summer colors, but black and white flowers are not so rare sight nowadays either.
Cultivation: It is not picky about soil, but it requires full light to partial shade and regular moisture to enhance flowering.
4. Hibiscus trionum
Hibiscus is an annual plant that belongs to the genus Malvaceae commonly called the flower of an hour. It produces black and white flowers from June to August and can grow around 45 cm tall. It can emerge where your other plants are planted, such as corn and fruit.
Cultivation: Provide full light and plant in sandy soil. It attracts bees and butterflies. The leaves aren’t toxic.
5. Phalaenopsis orchid
Otherwise known as Moth Orchid, this species is usually grown as an indoor potted plant. It produces long-lasting flowers on spikes that can contain around 15 flowers each. It produces blossoms in spring and summer, ideally in zones 10-12.
Cultivation: The plant prefers bright shade, mildly acidic, and moist soil that contains orchid bark, along with standard household temperature and humidity levels.
6. Rhododendron ‘Sappho’
This rhododendron is an evergreen shrub that has deep green foliage and flowers that quite vary in colors. The outer petals are white while the centers are deep purple to black. It was named after Sappho the female Greek poet and muse.
Cultivation: It tolerates occasional baths in full sun but prefers partial shade. It needs pruning every now and then to maintain the shape and promote growth.
7. Petunia hybrida
One of the species that is most decorative for balconies as a hanging plant is Petunia hybrida. It is a small flower that can transform your balcony into small floral heaven with its luxurious appearance yet modest care. This hybrid is an annual flowering plant from South and North America that features leathery, soft flowers in an array of colors, including black and white.
Cultivation: Find a spot where it will receive light most of the day. Use soft water or let tap water stay in a jar overnight. It needs fertilizing if the flowers become dry and yellow.
8. Viola tricolor var. hortensis
This plant belongs to the family Violaceae and is commonly known as come-and-cuddle-me or pansy. The hybrid form is bicolored, even in black and white, while it can also be tricolored in every shade imaginable. It produces blossoms all year, decently hardy yet short-lived.
Cultivation: It is used to treat eczema, rash, and skin inflammation, yet can be toxic if ingested in large amounts. Water regularly.
9. Crocus ‘Pickwick’
This is a lovely Dutch flowering bulb that bears white flowers with dark purple to black venation in spring to early summer. It makes a lovely companion plant for Daffodils. It thrives in zones 4-8.
Cultivation: Grow it in full sun, well-draining alkaline and mildly acidic soil for best results.
10. Pyrus pyrifolia ‘Shinseiki’
This plant is a vigorous fruit producer that bears a profusion of white flowers adorned with black, though it is more common to see it in creamy white, gradually turning red in the fall. It can grow around 250 cm tall and 300 cm wide and it is cold and heat tolerant.
Cultivation: Provide full sun, fertile soil that drains well, prune annually and be watchful of aphids and other insects.
11. Nemophila menziesii ‘Snowstorm’
This is an outstanding and intriguing species that produces white blossoms with tiny delicate black speckles. The leaves are oval, bright green and the plant is compact and neat all together. If you prefer neutral colors, this species can make a lovely wedding decoration, but works quite well as a ground cover plant and potted plant, even hanging baskets.
Cultivation: Provide full sun to partial shade, water regularly and use well-drained soil.
12. Digitalis purpurea ‘Pam’s split’
This is a short-lived perennial plant that is known to attract bees and butterflies. The flowers are white and dark purple to black and the foliage is dark green. When you search for a plant to buy, always look for one that’s already flowering. This plant is highly poisonous if ingested.
Cultivation: Prune after the flowering season. Propagate from seeds.
13. Dahlia
Native to America, the dahlia is a sun-loving plant that usually produces large, pink flowers and black-and-white species are not so commonly encountered. It is a double-flowered species with black centers.
Cultivation: Provide ample bright light. Water only when it dries out. Propagate from seed. Remove old flowers and use the seeds for propagation.
14. Tacca integrifolia – White Bat Flower
Native to India and Southeast Asia, this plant has short and green stems, blossoms that open atop a stiff stem in a cluster of dark purple to black, tightly wrapped flowers that form the bat’s face with two white bracts that form the wings. Another similar version is T. caulteri.
Cultivation: Water regularly and keep consistently moist. Fertilize four to six times a year with a balanced, soluble water formula. Propagate by divisions.
15. Abelmoschus esculentus – Okra
This is a stunning annual species that originates from the tropical areas and produces flowers that resemble petunia flowers. They are showy, thin, feathery, and white with deep purple to almost black centers. The fruit is inconspicuous and edible.
Cultivation: Grow this beauty in moist, quick-draining soil in full sun. Aphids can pose a problem with this one.
16. Cosmos atrosanguineus – Chocolate Cosmos
Chocolate cosmos is such a dramatic delight to have in your garden. It got its name because of its deep brown color. It thrives in zone 7 and always gives a warm welcome to butterflies.
Cultivation: Propagate from tuberous roots. Check for any sign of disease on this almost black flower. Don’t let them sit outside in the winter.
Are there any black flowers?
If you are into neutral colors, check out some beautiful black flowers such as black calla lily, queen of the night, unique Rosa “Black Baccara”, black roses, black dahlia, hellebore, or tulip species. Whichever you choose, it will add drama, elegance, and mystery to your home. Flowers black as these are also very rare, but definitely worth the while and bloom readily and often.
Conclusion
Black and white coexist together – light and darkness – and that’s what these flowers are about. While it is true that they are rare in cultivation and difficult to get hold of, it is not an impossible mission.
Deep purple, maroon to almost or completely black and white, trumpet-shaped or the usual types like a rose, lily, tulips, or some other related black and white flower species with yellow sepals will reward you with masses of blooms that open during the day or night. Most of them make an amazing bouquet, too. You will greatly benefit from cultivating them!
