Inspiration Page – Dark & Rich

spotlight on: dark & rich

Reminiscent of the Victoriana interiors and gardening trend and Vanitas art movement – discover darker tones, sumptuous textures, and a wild, unkempt gardening style, perfect for visiting wildlife.

Incredibly decadent and undeniably rich, this colour palette was one of Sarah's first true loves. Try in combination or use for turning down the brights – or, why not incorporate just a few of these dark and romantic varieties, or plant en masse for serious impact.

Dahlia 'Verrone's Obsidian'

Sultry, sophisticated and beautiful, with petals cut from silk velvet. In a class of its own

Marrakesh Dahlia Collection

Bold, exotic and architectural with a hint of Islamic patterns, tiles and mosaics, this is one for the interior designers

Dahlia 'La Recoleta'

The first and last to flower in my garden. A brilliant variety for cutting, better than all similar black dahlias

Calibrachoa 'Can-Can Black Cherry'

I've always loved a black velvet flower and this is one of the most luscious textured and longest flowering of all, blooming copiously all summer on almost no TLC

Iris chrysographes black-flowered

This is one of the plants for the pond or streamside, with petals as if cut from the most perfect silk velvet. I want to be a bee and snuggle down to a feast in these!

Papaver somniferum 'Black Single'

The wild mauve-purple single opium poppy is beautiful, but this is so much more so – crimson black with silvery-blue contrasting stems and leaves

Sweet Pea 'Almost Black'

A very glamorous thing. Dark, luscious colour with amazing scent and good stem length. Scent 9/10

Pink Thunbergia and Ipomoea Collection

The sugar pink thunbergia contrasts beautifully with the dark, rich ipomoea. A great combination to climb and tumble over a teepee or obelisk

Ipomoea batatas 'SolarTower Black'

With rich ebony hearts, this trailing ipomoea is one of my favourites to mix with my treasured boiled sweet or velvet saturated colour combinations

Salvia 'Lake Onega'
(Salgoon Series)

My favourite new pot discovery of last year — velvety, long-flowering and rich in every way, ‘Lake Onega’ matches ‘Amistad’ in colour and is beautiful with it and similarly brilliant for all pollinators. A brand-new A star plant

Sheer Presence Pot Collection

If I had to name my favourite new plant for pot-growing from our trials last summer, this Salvia ‘Lake Onega’ would be my number one. As velvety, loved by bees, and glamorous as Salvia ‘Amistad’ but a third the size, it’s perfect for pots and all the better with showy pelargoniums and delicate trailing purple bell vine to give you the ultimate magnificent pot combination. It’s party-time

Sambucus nigra f. porphyrophylla 'Gerda'

A glorious elder with intense, deep burgundy, almost black foliage, and sweet, lemon-scented, pale pink flowers in early summer. In autumn, the dark fruits are very attractive to songbirds such as thrushes, warblers, and finches. Grow in full sun to get the darkest foliage

Aquilegia vulgaris var. stellata 'Black Barlow'

These aquilegias remind me of a Ballerina’s tutu in rich, deep crimson, showy for the late spring/early summer shady border and lovely and elegant picked for a vase

Sambucus nigra f. porphyrophylla 'Eva'

The lacy black-crimson leaves and its soft, smokey-pink dome flower put this elder in a class of its own. Its AGM proves it's a cracker. Quick to establish in sun or shade

Scabiosa atropurpurea 'Black Cat'

Dark, rich velvet, crimson, mini-pincushions on long, wiry stems - a must. All the scabious family are known for their reliability, long-flowering season and fantastic insect-friendly credentials

Gladiolus 'Espresso'

The very darkest black-crimson. I love it with acid green so grow it piercing through euphorbia