This is the original theme that gave me the idea for Gothic Gardening and will obviously discuss black (or near-black, since in nature black is a fairly rare color) plants. It seems that about once a month on rec.gardens someone asks the question "Are there any black flowers I can grow?" This list is not all-inclusive, but it's as complete as possible.

Note: I've included many plants in this list that I have no earthly idea of where to find them.

Flowers

Roses: I'm sorry to say, there's just no such thing as a black rose. I could probably write an entire column on near-black roses alone, since this seems to be the black flower everyone wants (but not me... I'd rather have true-black tulips). "Taboo" claims to be the nearest yet, but I found the flowers to be fairly red. The Taboo rose came from Germany, which does earn it some goth points, but it's still not dark enough for me. In Germany, it's known as Barkarole. The experts on rec.gardens.roses recently discussed the question of black roses, and the list of cultivars I have is derived mainly from them. I haven't personally seen many of these roses, so I can't vouch for just how dark they are, and I am most certainly not a rose expert....

(Note: Many people have e-mailed me to tell me many of these roses are nowhere near black. Caveat emptor.)

• "Ink Spots": supposed to be slightly darker than "Taboo" and also supposed to be better able to withstand heat. One description was "sooty black over fiery red."
• "Ingrid Bergman": dark red rose, highly recommended.
• "Oklahoma": dark red buds, a dark, purplish red bloom, hybrid tea rose, also highly recommended.
• "Sympathie": a climbing rose with dark red buds.
• "Black Jade": a miniature rose that is dark red, reportedly about the same shade as "Ink Spots."
• "Brian Donne": another miniature, slightly lighter than "Black Jade."
• "Love's Promise": a black/red rose with a raspberry scent.
• "Tuscany" and "Tuscany Superb": antique roses, deep red with blackish overtones and lots of fragrance.
• "The Squire": a David Austin rose with near-black buds and dark red blooms.
• "Souvenir du Dr. Jamain": a Hybrid Perpetual, deep burgundy, with some purple.
• "Nuits de Young": a purple-black moss rose.
• "The Prince": a dark red-purple English rose.
• "Papa Meilland": dark red-black in colder climates.
• "Kentucky Derby": similar to Papa Meilland.
• "Onyx": a Hybrid Tea, dark red-black.
• "Black Tea": not really black, but brown.
• "Deep Secret": red-black buds, dark red flower, fragrant.
• "Black Lady": again, near-black buds and dark red blooms.
• "Cardinal de Richelieu": a dark purple Gallica rose.
• "Deuil de Paul Fontaine": a dusky purple-red moss rose. Goth points for the name - it translates to "mourning for Paul Fontaine."

Hollyhocks: Found labeled as Althaea rosea nigra, A. nigra or "The Watchman," these are single saucer-shaped blooms that are a deep, chocolate maroon. This was grown by Thomas Jefferson. I wonder if he was secretly a goth....

Snapdragon: The "Black Prince" cultivar has foliage that is dark green with dark reddish maroon overlay. When it flowers, the blooms are very dark, velvety crimson.

Gladiolus: Cultivars I've seen listed that all seem to be dark black-red, rather than a true black, are "Morocco," "Black Stallion," "Black Swan," and "Bewitched."

Canna lily: The "Black Knight" canna lily doesn't look that dark to me. It's supposed to be deep red with burgundy foliage.

Sunflowers: There isn't any such thing as a black sunflower, but there are several options for dark colored ones... which are a dramatic change from the big, bright yellow ones people are used to. Deep-hued "Evening Sun" sunflowers have deep, rich, earthen tones (mahogany-red, rusty bronze, deep gold, burgundy and bicolored combinations all with dark center disks). Two other dark cultivars I've seen are "Floristan" and "Velvet Queen."

Salvia: Andean Silverleaf or Peruvian Sage, Salvia discolor, has spikes of dark purple-black flowers and silvery foliage. The scent is a combination of fruit, eucalyptus and resin.

Tulips: "Queen of Night" dwarf tulips are a deep velvety maroon, as is "Black Diamond." Supposedly, when tulip breeding was an art several centuries ago, there were black tulips. This is the closest I've seen commercially available. There's also a "Black" Parrot tulip, which is deep purple and has "whipped" petals, and a "Black Hero" double tulip, which is derived from "Queen of Night" and has flowers resembling a peony. I've also seen a listing for the "Black Swan Tulip," Tulipa gesneriana, but I don't know how black it is, or if you can buy it.

Bachelor's Buttons: Also know as cornflowers, there is a deep maroon variety, known as "Black Ball" or "Black Boy."

Columbine: Aquilegia vulgaris has a deep maroon and white spurred variety, which is known as "Magpie" or "William Guiness." A. atrata is the black columbine and has purple-black flowers. A. viridiflora has jade green and black flowers.

Cosmos: The chocolate cosmos has burgundy-black flowers and a slight chocolate scent.

Kangaroo paws: This flower is native to Australia. The black kangaroo paw has flowers and stems that are covered by black hairs - the green barely peeks through.

Fritillaria: F. camschatcensis, also known as the black rice root lily, black lily, chocolate lily, or Black Sarana, has bell-like flowers that are ruby-black. F. davisii has deep-green bell flowers that are heavily tessellated with purplish-brown so they appear black. F. persica has spikes of very dark plum flowers.

Daylilies: The darkest daylily cultivar I've seen is "Smoking Gun," which is a maroon-brown-black color with yellow star points. There are lots deep red-black and purple-black daylilies, including "Eleventh Hour," "Night Raider," "Cairo Night," "Vintage Bordeaux," "Dominic," "Ed Murray," "Khans Knight," "Midnight Magic," "Night Wings," "Super Babe" and "Troubled Waters."

Scabiosa: Also known as the pincushion flower, the "Satchmo" variety is a deep maroon. These are excellent cut flowers.

Hyacinth: "Distinction" isn't that close to black but is deep cherry with a maroonish-black stripe down the center of each petal. Simply gorgeous.

Dianthus: Dianthus includes pinks, carnations and sweet william. Dianthus nigricans has very dark flowers, and there is a cultivar known as "King of Black," which I haven't seen, but I suspect is dark. There is also a cultivar that is deep purple-black with white edging, which I've seen named "Velvet and Lace" or "Black and White Minstrel." I've seen mention of a black carnation, but the closest I've found is a deep crimson variety, "Douglas Phu." Sweet william, Dianthus barbatus, has a variety called "Sooty," which is near black and has green-black leaves.

Dahlia: The pompom form of this flower has several deep purple-black varieties available, including "Glenplace," "Moorplace," and "Black Tuber."

Nemophilia: This is a very short plant with penny sized blooms. "Penny Black" has flowers black flowers edged with white, and "Freckles" has white flowers covered with tiny black spots.

Poppy: The peony-flowered poppy has a black cultivar, sometimes listed as "Black Cloud." These are a deep purple-black.

Iris: Unlike other flowers, black varieties seem to plentiful in the iris family. Bearded iris varieties include "Superstition," "Study in Black," "Licorice Stick," "Swazi Princess," "Night Ruler," "Hello Darkness," "Paint It Black," "Night Owl," "Black Tie Affair," and "Before the Storm." There's the "Black Gamecock" Louisiana iris. And the Chinese iris, Iris chrysographes, has a black, non-frilly flower.

Butterfly Bush: The "Black Knight" cultivar has blue-black flowers.

Hellebores: Hellebores are one of those flowers that have a range of colors from white to near-black. They are prized by many because they are in bloom in late winter, when not much else is growing, let alone blooming. The H. orientalis hybrid "Atrorubens" is fairly easy to find and has plum colored flowers. However, there are blacker varieties out there; they're just more difficult to find. Some blackish-purple strains I've seen listed include "Alberich," "Andromeda," "Ballard's Black," "Black Knight," "Castor," "Pollux" and "Sorcerer." "Nigricans" is indigo blue-black, and "Philip Ballard" is a very dark blue-black. I've also seen some stunning pictures of H. torquatus, which grows wild in (the former) Yugoslavia. The flower color is variable, with dark plum, violet-black, grey (!), and green inside/black outside all seen. This is often the species used to hybridize H. orientalis to get the darker colored flowers.

Geraneum: Geraneum phaeum has very dark purple flowers. It was once known as Mourning Widow because its flowers are so dark.

Sweet Peas: Grown for the blooms, not a vegetable. "Pageantry" is a beautiful deep red-purple. Sweet peas are found most commonly in mixes, though, and almost all the mixes will include a deep maroon or deep purple one.

Primrose: There are very deep purple primroses that look almost black available at most nurseries. There is also a gold-laced primrose, "Black and Gold," which has a yellow eye at the center of the flower, nearly black petals and a rim of yellow on each petal (the "lacing"). There are show auriculas that have white centers and black petals, although the color of the petals is obscured by either a grey-green or green color, so that there's only a ring of black around the center.

Heather: The darkest colored heather I've seen mentioned is a cultivar of Erica cinerea known as "Velvet Night." The blooms are supposed to be purple-black.

Rudbeckia: An unusual daisy, "Green Wizard" has only green sepals (no petals), and a prominent black cone. Very odd.

Viola or pansy: Violas and pansies are not the same flowers but are often listed interchangeably. The black pansy really looks black, although you can see the slightest hint or purple around the yellow eye. I've seen it listed as "Bowles Black," "Black Prince," "Molly Sanderson," and "Black Magic."

The Gothic Gardening "Black Thumb" award goes to Clive Lundquist for sending all of the following suggestions for black flowers:

• Arum conophalloides var. caudatum: Gorgeous, deep purplish black arum.
• Eminium rauwolfii: As above but very black. Needs dryness.
• Trillium sessile: Commoner, blacky/purplish "flower."
• Calochortus nigrescens: Black hairy flowers but needs warmth and likes it dry in winter.
• Roscoea scillifolia: Very black, very small, short-lived flowers
• Gladiolus atroviolaceus: Needs dry summer, black flowers in spring.
• Arisaema ringens / triphyllum: Black, gorgeously gothy.
• A. speciosum / griffithii: Brownish but still very gothy aroids.
• Bellevalia pycnantha: Deep browny-black grape hyacinth.
• Muscari commutatum: As above.
• Iris nicolai: Black and white flowers in midwinter (often called I. rosenbachiana black and white).

Ornamentals

Clover: Black four-leaf clover, Trifolium repens "Purpurascens," is actually chocolate brown with light green edges.

Tiarella: False Miterwort has a new cultivar known as "Inkblot," which has glossy leaves that are green on the edges, but blackish in the center. It has light pink flowers in the spring (cut 'em off!).

Heuchera: The "Pewter Moon" variety of this plant has purplish black leaves with a silver gloss.

Pussy willow: The black pussy willow comes from Japan. The catkins are so dark that they appear black against the red twigs.

Black Mondo Grass: Ophiopogon planiscapus "Nigrescens" is not actually a grass (it's really a member of the lily family). It has purple-black leaves and small pink flowers that are followed by glossy black berries.

Bamboo: Phylostachys nigra has pitch black stems. Warning: Bamboo is usually invasive. Grow it in a pot.

Ornamental Sweet Potato: Ipomoea batatas "Blackie" has black leaves and stems.

Taro: The "Jet Black" ornamental taro is actually deep burgundy.

Fountain grass: Black fountain grass, Pennisetum alope "Moudry," has ribbon foliage with ebony seed plumes. P. staceum "Rubrum" has bronze-purple leaves and flower spikes.

Smoke Bush: The "Royal Purple" cultivar has foliage that opens red but matures to a deep purple. The flowers are feathery purple plumes.

Carpet Bugle: Ajuga "Royalty" has midnight purple leaves. This is used as a ground cover and can be walked on!

Ornamental Pepper: Capsicum annuum "Black Prince" has black-purple foliage. The young fruit is red but turns black as it matures.

Durum (ornamental wheat): "Black Bearded" durum has cream-colored heads that splay out into 4- to 6-inch stiff bristles, which turn dark black when mature. "Black Eagle" has glumes that are partially black and continue onto the awns.

Broomcorn (sorghum): Two varieties are of interest: "Black Kafir" has black club-shaped heads. "Black Amber" has amber seeds covered with a shiny black coating.

Oats: Yet another ornamental grain, the "French Black" cultivar has jet black heads. All of the ornamental grains work well for unusual flower arrangements.

Vegetables

Everyone knows eggplants are nearly black, but here are a few unusual black vegetables....

Tomato: "Black Krim," "Black Prince" and "Southern Nights" are all varieties that produce black tomatoes, which are really a dark brown-red or garnet. All of these varieties are heirlooms from Russia. The reason these tomatoes are black is that they retain their green pigment even as they develop the red pigment... other tomatoes lose the green.

Lettuce: The "Ibis Hybrid" variety is such a dark red that it appears black. Another "greens" alternative is Tatsoi, which is an oriental green with black-green spoon shaped leaves.

Bell pepper: There are chocolate peppers, which are really dark brown, but closer to black is the "Purple Beauty" cultivar, which as you may have guessed is very dark purple.

Black Spanish radish: One of the oldest of heirloom vegetables, black Spanish radish has been cultivated since the sixteenth century. The skin of the roots is deep, deep, purple, almost black, with white flesh. Of course, you can't see the roots while it's growing, but you could always prepare a gothic salad of black lettuce, black tomato, black bell pepper and black radish.

Black Aztec corn: A sweet corn that should be eaten when the kernels are white but will turn black when fully mature. This was apparently the first corn noted by the Europeans in 1493.

Basil: This is an herb, not a vegetable. The "Dark Opal" variety has very dark purple leaves. It is excellent for flavoring vinegars and oils.

Snap Beans: The "Royal Burgundy" or "Purple Tepee" varieties have beans that are almost black - but unfortunately turn green when cooked.

Fruit: This is a fairly common province of black in nature, including black cherries, black raspberries, blackberries and black plums. These are all really common, so look them up yourself.

The Night Garden

Since you gothy types rarely seen the light of day, what good does a garden do you? Well, here is the answer: a garden that consists of night-fragrant or night-blooming plants. Of course, you can't really see that black garden at night. The key color here is white. White glows in moonlight. And there are several varieties of plants that bloom exclusively at night, or whose flowers may be open during the day but don't release their scent until the evening.

Night-Flowering Plants

Evening primrose: "These soft-scented flowers have four satiny heart-shaped petals that come together forming 2-inch open cups with frilly long stamens. When they open in the evening, the blossoms are a soft clear white that gradually fades into pink as the flowers mature. Their luscious scent reminds us of a cross between honeysuckle and lemon custard. The flowers open every evening throughout summer until first frost."

Sweet-scented nicotiana: These nicotianas (yes, that's the tobacco plant) have creamy-white tubular flowers borne in graceful sprays on softly draping branches. The 2- to 3-inch trumpet-shaped blossoms are closed in the daytime, but in the late afternoon and evening they fill the air with a jasmine-like scent.

Moonflowers: These 6-inch trumpet flowers unfurl in slow motion every night just at sunset. Pure white with faint green tracings, the blossoms are very fragrant all evening. By noon, the flowers dwindle and close and are barely seen in the dense foliage.

"Midnight Candy" night phlox: "These tidy upright plants bear umbrella-like clusters of small, delicate phlox-like flowers. The insides of the petals are pure white, and the outsides are a satiny maroon with a hint of white where petals overlap. During the day, the flowers are tightly closed, just showing a hint of color. As dusk comes on, there is a magic moment when they open like a display of little firework stars, releasing a delicious almond/ honey/vanilla-like fragrance that wafts throughout the garden."

Angel's Trumpet: Datura meteloides has 6-inch white trumpet flowers that open at night and remain open well into the following day. This flower is a favorite subject of Georgia O'Keefe. This was also used by California Indians as a narcotic for the youth to seek their visions and be initiated into society. Warning: poisonous. Don't eat it to get a high.

Evening stock: Many-branched 1½-foot plants have grey-green leaves and 1-inch star-shaped flowers of very pale violet. The blooms are closed tightly all day but open at dusk to pour out a fantastic spicy fragrance.

Nottingham catchfly, night-flowering catchfly and white campion: These are all members of the genus Silene, which also has several day-blooming members. These plants have sticky stems, hence the name "catchfly." The odor of the Nottingham catchfly is described as sweet and reminiscent of hyacinths, and its flowers open on three successive nights before withering.

Bouncing Bet (also known as soapwort): With either pink or white blossoms, this plant fills the night with sweet perfume. Also used to make detergent - hence the soapwort moniker.

Four o'Clocks: In late afternoon, Mirabilis jalapa's 2-inch trumpet-shaped flowers unfurl, releasing a rich jasmine-like perfume. These plants, with blooms in pink, rose, white, orange and yellow, are very easy to grow and fast growing. They're also known as "Marvel of Peru."

August lily (fragrant Hosta): The leaves are about six inches long and four inches wide, with eight pairs of impressed veins. The white, waxy, trumpet-shaped flowers appear on 30-inch scapes, and each is five inches long and three inches wide. The scent is of pure honey.

Vesper iris: A native of Mongolia, the sweetly fragrant flowers are a dull greenish white spotted with brownish purple or reddish purple with white splotches. Like many iris blossoms, they become spirally twisted after flowering.

There are also about 50 different cultivars of daylilies that bloom at night. Some of my favorites are called "After the Fall" (tangerine and copper blend with yellow halo), "Jewel of Hearts" (dark red flowers with a red-black center), "Moon Frolic" (near white), "Toltec Sundial" (fragrant sunshine yellow) and "Witches Dance" (dark red with a green throat).

Night-Fragrant Plants

Many plants will have flowers open during the day, but they don't release their scent until evening.

Perfumed fairy lily: Chlidanthus fragrans has a rich lily fragrance at night. Three or four yellow, funnel-shaped flowers are carried on stems up to a foot high.

Night gladiolus: Gladiolus tristus has creamy yellow blossoms that are intensely fragrant at night with a spicy-sweet perfume, and the unusual leaves look like a pinwheel cut in half.

Tuberose: Victorians loved this sweet and heady (almost overpowering) fragrance. The flowers are waxy white and two inches long.

Carolina jessamine (also known as evening trumpet flower): The evergreen leaves surround sweetly fragrant, bell-shaped flowers of bright yellow that are particularly sweet as evening approaches. This grows wild in the South.

Finally, some suggestions for plants that don't necessarily bloom only at night or release fragrance then but which have white blooms to glow in moonlight:

• "Purity" cosmos
• "Armour White" verbena
• "Alba" foxglove
• Summer hyacinth
• "Bride" impatiens
• "Alba" bleeding heart
• "Moonraker" Cape fuchsia
• "Perry's White" oriental poppy
• "White Swan" camellia
• White forsythia
• "Alba" columbine
• "White Lace" Dianthus

And for a note of interest: silver thyme, "Alba" eggplant (egg-shaped fruits of glistening white), "Casper" or "Boo" white pumpkins and Fraxinella (the gas plant: at night, if you hold a match to the plant, either the plant glows with a blue flame - that doesn't harm it - or the flowers burn with an orange flame and release the smell of lemon into the air).

The perfect accessory for any night garden, besides some lovely gargoyles, would be a moondial.

There are many, many more plants that can be included in the night garden. If you want more information, I suggest either The Evening Garden by Peter Loewer, or Evening Gardens by Cathy Barash, both written exclusively about gardening for the evening and night hours.