Dahlia 'Roxy' and Dahlia 'Happy Single Party' are two I've grown that I chose for their dark purple foliage. Roxy has a lovely bright rose pink flower and HSP has bright yellow flowers. Queen of Night Tulip has a really deep purple flower (but in my garden tulips need protection from the voles, so they aren't too perennial for me), and I also have a single hollyhock that I got from a neighbor (so that I don't know its name) that has the deepest maroon flower I've ever seen.

I have other plants with dark foliage or flowers, but those 4 are the closest to black I've grown.

Black Pearl Pepper, it's an ornamental pepper, grows 2.5 feet tall and the peppers look like shiny large jelly beans; mine did fill out enough to become round. Black leaves and stems...a very interesting plant. In Sept. the peppers start to turn reddish. Just google Nancy Ondra's site Hayefield.com and black pearl peppers; she's got some great pics to see.

Salvia discolor has my darkest flowers. They are nice plants, but I thought the hummingbirds would enjoy them more than they seem to. It is too dark outside to take a photograph of the blooms tonight, so I provided a link to an online photo.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:213449}}

Nice idea for a thread. I had been wondering what other dark/purple leaved plants were out there too...

What I grow or have grown:

Actaea Atropurpurea group and NOID one with nearly black leaves
Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing'
Euphorbia dulchis 'Chameleon' (invasive)
Geranium 'Midnight Reiter', 'Espresso', 'Elizabeth Anne'
Leptinella 'Platt's Black'
Ligularia 'Othello'
Lysimachia 'Fireworks' (invasive)
Ophiopogon Nigrescens' (died out- not very hardy here)
Penstemon 'Huskars Red'
Sedum 'Emperor's Red', 'Red Cauli' (weak), 'Vera Jameson' (I killed her), 'Xenox'

Snapdragon 'Black Prince'
Lunaria annua 'Rosemary Verey'

There are many Hellebores with black(ish) flowers. I sowed seeds of 'Black Beauty' from a trade, but they turned out pink ;-(
Arisaema...sowed some seed a few years ago of triphyllum, hoping there is at least one blackish streaked one in the group!
Trillium- killed my seedling

On my want list...most are more chocolate-y than purple but...
Disporum 'Night Heron'
Melica 'Atropurpurea'
Polygonatum 'Betberg'
Rodgersia 'Bronze Peacock'
CMK

There are a variety of easy black/dark Heuchera to choose from.

* Heuchera
* Persian shield (I grow as an annual in my zone)
* Purple basil (grown as an annual in my zone)

Penstemon âÂÂDark TowersâÂÂ
Sedum âÂÂPurple EmperorâÂÂ
Bronze or Red Lettuces :-)

I second Persian Shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus). A lovely annual for this zone. Unfortunately, to be a perennial one has to live in zone 9 or warmer.

Though I have not had any success with it, Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis or Lobelia 'Queen Victoria', or L. 'Black Truffle) is lovely.

Heuchera Midnight Rose is a very nice one, IMO.

Not totally surprised the hummers didn't go nuts over the Salvia discolor, GF. Hummers tend to go for the bright reds and oranges.

Paul, considering that the deep purple, local hummingbird approved, Salvia 'Amistad' is planted beside the Salvia discolor, I don't thing it is a matter of flower color this time.

Hmm, maybe, maybe not. Perhaps if you place a survey next to the plants for them to fill out?

Black Magic elephant ear.

Great pic Gyr_Falcon!

Oooh, yes - definitely Black Magic elephant ear! How could I forget that one, I've grown it off an on for many years. There are other great dark-leaved elephant ears, too. I especially like the dark ones with the green veining (the name of my favorite escapes me right now BAH!).

Oh, and while many of them aren't THAT dark, how about the dark leaved canna like:
'Australia'
Tropicanna Black'
'General Eisenhower'
'Assaut'
'Black Knight'
'Durban'

to name a few?

Thanks, mxk3. :)

Did I miss someone listing the Black mondo (Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens')? I got curious if anyone had photos of a "black" garden along the lines of a moon garden. I did a quick search for images, but a lot of unrelated stuff came up. It could be interesting, or horrid; I cannot decide, but leaning towards the latter. lol I usually use the dark items only for contrast or focal.

Sedum 'Blackjack' is growing in a part sun bed on the north side of my house.
I know--sedum prefers full sun but I wanted something with dark foliage for that spot and 'Blackjack' was all I had available when it came time to plant something. It does flop, chances are due to insufficient hours of sun, but I put a short peony ring around it to help support it. The bees are on it from early morning until sunset once it blooms so I'm not inclined to move it anytime soon.

Given the fact it comes up reliably every season (and has for close to a half dozen years), I'm inclined to leave it where it is, flopping notwithstanding. My S. 'Autumn Joy' is growing in a bed that gets quite a bit more sun and it flops as well. I don't fertilize perennials or over-water them so I'm guessing my acid, sandy loam soil is just too healthy for them.

Some of my tall garden phlox send up nearly black foliage when emerging in spring but I don't recall the foliage retaining the dark hue once the plants begin to bloom later in the growing season.

Dark purple foliage:
Tradescantia pallida âÂÂPurpureaâ / âÂÂPurple Heartâ (spiderwort) reportedly native to Mexico, Louisiana and Florida. Invasive in south FL and other places where it does not freeze. Overwinters well as a houseplant, brightens up other pots.

Dark stem and calyces, medium purple colored flower:
Salvia âÂÂAmistadâ noted above by Gyr_Falcon. My Amistad in the ground died this winter but a broken branch stuck in a pot overwintered just fine in z8b. I covered the pot with a Dupont Frost Blanket when it was 25F or lower during the most severe winter in years. You might try overwintering a cutting of Amistad inside if you were interested. Discovered in Argentina, thought to be a natural hybrid.

Purple Heart flowers
Purple Heart in flowerbed
Amistad flowers

Does anyone remember the name of this plant? The foliage is really darker than this photo.. sort of a dark green purple. I've had it for years in the main garden and moved it closer to the house last fall. Just cannot remember what it was called! Thanks in advance for your help!

It was called Cimicifuga but is now Actaea. The one you have could be Actaea 'Brunette', 'Hillside Black Beauty', 'Black Negligee', 'Atropurpurea' etc. These are one of my favorite plants.

Ligularia dentata 'Britt Marie Crawford' and Ligularia 'Osiris Cafe Noir' are nice and dark if we are keeping this going.

Not not sure why penstemon Dark Towers was missed, it's a beauty. There are so many dark leaved Heuchera, too many to list and all are lovely, my favorite is Plum Pudding.

sherry

Not a bloom or a leaf but Joe Pye has awesome maroon stems. :~)

Rosa glauca

'Crimson Pygmy' Barberry

Clematis

The dark clematis I like is Black Prince:

I also have a 'black' hellebore - whose name I can't remember! (It looks blacker in 'real life' than in this picture!)

Lobelia cardinalis "Queen Victoria". The bright red flowers against the dark foliage is really eye catching. I'll have a photo in a day or two.

How about Sedum Chocolate Drop? I've had it for a few years and it is such a pretty chocolate brown color. Mine stays short and does not fall over, which is another plus.

Linda

Thank you Peren.all. You're right!!! NOW I remember. It was labeled Cimicifuga Atropurpurea.
It's been driving me crazy the past few days because I am such a stickler for remembering my plants names and it kept escaping me! Thank you!

Mertie you are most welcome!

Geranium pratense 'Midnight Reiter'

Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'

Weigela 'Midnight Wine':

and

and Weigela "Shining Sensation":

Sedum (not sure which):

Center Glow Ninebark:

Be aware that chocolatey foliage will look ver drab of the background is mulch or a gray wood fence. It needs green or yellow behind it to make it pop.