Dark Purple and Black Tulips

Probably the best known of the black tulips, Queen of the Night is actually a very dark shade of plum. It's at its blackest in a sunny border, where its velvety petals will reflect sunlight contrasting with its near-glaucous leaves.

Flowers are single and cup-shaped, appearing in May. Late enough for a whole world of possibilities to open up when it comes to companion planting the first flowering perennials of the year having just started to appear. They'll also help to hide its dyeing foliage.

Tulip Queen of the Night itself has fairly good perennial qualities, usually coming back year after year. It grows to 15cm (60 in).

From $0.27 a bulb at Blooming Bulb

A sport of Tulip Queen of the Night, Black Hero also has dark maroon flowers appearing in May and good perennial qualities. But its flowers are glossier, fuller and rounder than its parent's - this is a double late tulip, rather than a single late tulip. Petals are also curved, giving its flowers a shaggy appearance.

Layers and layers of shaggy liquorice black petals make Tulip Black Parrot the most gothic of all the black tulips. This is a black parrot tulip with heavy flowers are carried on tall stems, so planting in close clusters will help them to support each other.

As it's a Parrot Tulip, Tulip Black Parrot flowers in May.

Earlier flowering than other black tulips, this one flowers in April. Flowers are large, velvety dark burgundy with a blue black sheen, opening from neat oval buds. Foliage is glaucous and height to about 50cm. Tulip Paul Scherer is a Triumph Tulip. Try it with Erythronium 'Pagoda', which has delicate and ornate primrose yellow flowers.

Black tulips look fabulous with more common yellow spring-time flowers such as daffodils, primulas as well as just about any other color tulip, especially hot reds and oranges, but for a touch of class try them with rare and beautiful Erythroniums.

Also anything with gray leaves or blue flowers will make for an unusual and striking display.

If you're looking for other plants which feature black, here are a few:

Sambucus nigra 'Black Beauty' has black foliage; iris 'Gerald Darby' has black stems; Iris chrysographes 'Black Knight' has very dark purple-black flowers; and Aquilegia 'Black Barlow' has very dark plum double flowers.