Looking around, you will see that many of the flowers in black and white, really fail on the first color… But, after a long search, we have found 18 varieties that are quite convincing, and here they are!
1: ‘Black Eyed Angels’ Candle Larkspur (Delphinium x elatum ‘Black Eyed Angels’)
One of the most convincing varieties of black and white flowers is a Delphinium hybrid, a candle larkspur suggestively called ‘Black Eyed Angels’. And you will understand why when you look at it…
2: ‘Black and White Minstrels’ Pink (Dianthus chinensis heddewigii ‘Black and White Minstrels’)
3: ‘Susie White’ Black Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata ‘Susie White’)
4: ‘Snowstorm’ Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii var. atomaria ‘Snowstorm’)
5: ‘Stealth’ Slipper Orchid (Paphilopedilum ‘Stealth’)
Did you know that orchids have the largest color range of any flower? And in fact, you can even find convincingly black ones, like ‘Stealth’ slipper orchid. It is a recent hybrid by Krull-Smith from Orchid Zone between Paphilopedilum ‘Hsinying Maru’ and Paphilopedilum rhothschidlianum, introduced in 2007.
6: ‘New York Night’ and ‘Midnight Ruffles’ Hellebores (Helleborus ‘New York Night’ and Helleborus ‘Midnight Ruffles’)
7: ‘Dalmatian White’ Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea ‘Dalmatian White’)
8: ‘Carmel White’ Poppy Anemone (Anemone coronaria ‘Carmel White’)
9: ‘Black Spider’ Asiatic Lily (Lilium auratum ‘Black Spider’)
If you are looking for a super showy variety with in the shades of night and day, of pitch and snow, you want to have a look at ‘Black Spider’ Asiatic lily!
This bulbous perennial will give you massive blooms with the iconic six petals, up to 8 inches across, in a group of 4 to 8 at the top of a straight and upright stem, up to 8 inches across each (2
10: ‘Penny Black’ Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii ‘Penny Black’)
Here is another variety of baby blue eyes with our rare color combination, but with a much bolder effect than ‘Snowstorm’: ‘Penny Black’! In fact, the round and bowl shaped blooms are almost all of the color of night!
11: ‘Sappho’ Rhododendron (Rhododendron ‘Sappho’)
For a shade loving shrub with amazing floral displays in black and white, there’s a wonderful rhododendron hybrid, called ‘Sappho’, after the oldest poetess of the Western World (or the Greek island…).
This summer bloomer will produce masses of large, funnel shaped flowers where the color of snow meets a dark purple black plume of droplets that leads your eye into the throat of the blossoms.
For a little chromatic twist, they will open from mauve buds… It will give you so many that the whole plant will be covered in them for weeks on end!
12: ‘Nigra’ Hollyhock (Alcea rosea ‘Nigra’)
‘Nigra’ is the a hollyhock variety that competes for the podium of the darkest of all, together with ‘Blacknight’. However, I think it has an edge over her rival, because the “blackness” of its deep purple is more stable and more credible, with a deep violet undertone which lacks in her sister.
13: ‘Silver Lace Black’ Polyanthus Primrose (Primuala elatior ‘Silver Lace Black’)
If you don’t mind a third color in the mix, you could grow polyanthus primrose ‘Silver Lace Black’ in your garden. Small and compact, it will brighten up your green haven from low down, near the ground, announcing spring with its lovely round flowers! Coming in small clusters, umbels to be precise, on upright stems, they are quite a show!
14: Dracula Vampira Orchid (Dracula vampira)
We now meet another orchid with a very gothic look: dracula vampira! As they name suggests, it is a very unusual looking species and it’s hard to describe it… Starting with the size of the flowers…
15: ‘Supertunia Latte’ Petunia (Petunia ‘Supertunia Latte’)
Petunias are a garden favorite because they are marathon bloomers, and they are so easy to grow… And ‘Supertunia Latte’ is the one you are looking for if you like black and white blossoms…
16: ‘Giant White with Black Face’ Pansy (Viola x wittrockiana ‘Giant White with Black Face’)
Viola is possibly the genus that competes with orchids for the widest color range, reaching extremely dark tonalities. While fully and convincing black varieties do exist, it is hard to find one that also has white though…
17: Flower of an Hour (Hibiscus trionum)
Flower of an hour is a close relative of the famous hibiscus, but quite different in many ways… To start with, it is an annual from the old world and subtropical areas… Next, it does not have the famous long and protruding reproductive tower of the mire famous varieties like rose of Sharon…
18: ‘Royal Wedding’ Oriental Poppy (Papaver orientale ‘Royal Wedding’)
We come to the last plant on our checkered list, and a very convincing variety it is too: ‘Royal Wedding’ oriental poppy! As you know, many members of the Papaver genus have very dark blotches at the cent of the blooms, sometimes looking like charcoal dusting…