|
|
BONSALL, Calif. – If you are looking for plants that are “sexy, mysterious, fashionable, exciting, and ultimately desirable” to offer to your customers, you are likely to find what you are looking for with the Black Magic and Purple Passion™ line from EuroAmerican Propagators, according to British nurserywoman Karen Platt.
“The little black dress has long been the garb of the sophisticated lady,” Platt explained. “Black is one of the colors of the sophisticated, modern garden.”
“Black plants have been all the rage recently,” added Josh Schneider, director of sales and marketing for EuroAmerican.
Karen Platt has been fascinated with black plants for years. What started as a hobby turned into a profession when she opened a nursery that specializes in black plants. To this date, she is the only woman ever to have run a nursery that specializes in black plants. She took her passion further and wrote a book on the subject titled Black Magic and Purple Passion. She is also the author of Seed Search. “I believe black plants deserve a place in every garden, even if only as accent plants, although it is possible to create a completely dark garden or corner of the garden,” Platt stated.
For the 2003 season, there are six varieties of black plants being offered:
Ajuga ‘Mahogany’ is a low-growing spreader with glossy leaves that are especially intense under high light levels and cool temperatures. Bright blue flower panicles appear in spring and build a strong contrast against the dark foliage. ‘Mahogany’ is hardy to USDA zone 4 and is excellent as groundcover, in borders, or in mixed containers.
Coleus ‘Merlot’ grows up to 14 inches tall and is excellent for mixed containers and annual beds. Its velvety, burgundy-black foliage develops a lime-green picotee marking on mature foliage.
The tallest plant in the program is Colocasia ‘Black Magic’, also known as elephant ear due to its huge leaves. It can reach up to six feet in height and is excellent for large containers or in moist soils in the garden.
Graptophyllum ‘Black Beauty’ is an extremely heat tolerant selection with glossy, nearly black leaves. It grows up to three feet tall in warm climates and is best used in the center of mixed containers with lighter-colored foliage and flowers.
Ipomoea ‘Black Heart’ is an ornamental sweet potato with a more compact habit and heart-shaped, purple-black leaves. It’s a heat-lover that likes to cascade over the edges of mixed planters and out of hanging baskets.
The shortest plant in the collection is Trifolium ‘Dark Dancer’. This relative of the clover family has clover-shaped leaves that are burgundy-black with lime-green edging and stems. It grows matt-forming, three to six inches tall, and is excellent along the edges of mixed planters or in borders. ‘Dark Dancer’ is hardy to USDA zone 4.