Black Blooms
The idea of a black garden has always sounded rather macabre to me. Flowers are lusty, colorful symbols of life and love. I can only imagine black blooms decorating a polished table in a starkly modern room. Or in the Addams family garden.
My stance was softened a little when I read the description of a black garden in Garden in the Dunes (recommended by Harvest). The predominate flowers in the black garden were gladiolas. The petals were compared to feathers, the flowers to blackbirds, and the garden to a rustling flock. I could imagine the odd beauty of the scene.
As fate would have it, I’m now the proud owner of black blooms myself. The first of my hollyhocks has opened to reveal midnight blossoms. I have always doubted that flowers described as “black” were really black at all. They must be deep purple or dark maroon. I am now convinced that black flowers do, indeed, exist. I still don’t think I like them much, though.
My stance was softened a little when I read the description of a black garden in Garden in the Dunes (recommended by Harvest). The predominate flowers in the black garden were gladiolas. The petals were compared to feathers, the flowers to blackbirds, and the garden to a rustling flock. I could imagine the odd beauty of the scene.
As fate would have it, I’m now the proud owner of black blooms myself. The first of my hollyhocks has opened to reveal midnight blossoms. I have always doubted that flowers described as “black” were really black at all. They must be deep purple or dark maroon. I am now convinced that black flowers do, indeed, exist. I still don’t think I like them much, though.
posted by Kasmira at 13.6.06
7 Comments:
early in the season i took the kids to one of the free gardens to walk around. at the entrace was about a thousand paperwhites mixed in with another thousand black tulips. my goodness that was striking and beautiful, and as luck would have it the next time we went to walk around there the grounds crew was digging up the bulbs and giving them away! i'm on the look out now for more!
I love the blackflower.I want to buy some tulips "queen of the night" which are black coloured.It might be hard to make a display of black flowers though as they are rare!
Ooh.. I winter sowed the black "Watchman" hollyhocks this year. Is that the kind you have blooming? I like them. :)
Hmm, I'm surprised to hear myself say this, but I kind of dig that black flower idea. Odd, but interesting.
I should have identified the hollyhocks. I believe they are the "old barnyard mix" that I ordered from Parks seed as young plants last year.
I'm not so sure about the "true" black flowers. I have deep purple tulips – called "Smoke on the Water" – and a new deep purple daylily called "Obsidian." Those I like, but really black flowers? Eh, not so much.
(Ha! I crack myself up.)
Hi, Just found your link to my blog! I hope you enjoyed the book as much as I did. I want some black hollyhocks too - they are supposed to make a really cool deep lavender tea . . . I want some on ice . . .
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