Several years ago, I started adding plants with dark colored leaves to the garden. One plant that I added was Sambucus nigra "Black Lace". This plant was developed from the Elderberry plant. It has a beautiful finely cut leaf that reminds you of a Japanese Maple. The leaf color is dark purple to a near black. It grows in zones 4 to 8 and prefers sun to part shade. I grow mine in the sun for the best color. It needs plenty of space to grow to reach it's full size of 6 to 8 feet. In the late spring it produces a light pink colored flower. I added this plant to my garden 5 years ago and since then, I have added three more for the great color that they provide to the garden. I grow my "Black Lace" mixed into my perennial borders. They look wonderful with roses, day lilies and other flowering perennials. Sambucus nigra is a very easy to grow plant that gives a lot of color to the garden and works well at showing off the colors of all your other flowers in the garden as well.
Do you like plants with dark colored leaves for your garden? Share your favorites in the comment section.
Happy Gardening!
The Creative Gardener