Garden Guru: Don't be afraid of the dark

Geranium renardii with black mondo grass set between lavenders. Photo / Supplied

Black as a colour in the garden has an allure like no other, not least because it isn't really a colour at all but an absence of it. Perhaps that's why, since ancient times, it has been associated with death, fear and menace - why else do we have black magic, black holes, the black death? But hardly a sound basis for a colour scheme around the home, surely?

Yet far from being an outcast of the colour wheel (or should I say the black sheep), black has a thrill about it that makes it many people's guilty pleasure. Classically the colour of strength, black is also the safest and most stylish shade we reach for whenever we are dressing to impress.

And if we use it with respect, that sophisticated and restrained association can be brought into play in all parts of our landscaping.

The secret is not to use so much that every bit of light is soaked up and you are left in gloom, but to use it confidently enough to make a statement.

Black makes a good background, adding zing by throwing colours placed in front of it into relief.

It is a good choice for boundary walls and fences - either painted or stained - against which even the most pedestrian of shrubs will sing out.

Choose lush foliage with good, strong shapes to make best use of the trick. Because black is so shadowy and recedes from the eye, it will also have some effect in disguising boundaries if you live in an enclosed space and want to push out the walls.

The same principle comes into play when, instead of putting pebbles in our ponds, we use black liners so the water seems bottomless.

Black and white is perhaps the most aggressive but enlivening combination you can play with.

Not everyone wants to be staring out at zebra crossings, checkerboards or barcodes but in an ultra-modern enclave they have their place and you can also tone down the contrast by using plenty of greys instead of gleaming whites as a partner.

Alternatively, you may choose flowers that subtly combine light and dark within themselves.

The stylish bonnets of Aquilegia "William Guinness" seed into vacant corners. Alternatively, the dark pincushions of Scabious atropurpurea are dusted with glistening white stamens.

Or simply contrast your dark details - perhaps a black stained pergola or obelisk for climbers - with softer colours as the contrast, rather than white.

Hot pinks, burning oranges and reds - these all sing out when set against a dark background.

Most black plants, whether flowers or foliage, tend to be imbued with other colours rather than being pure.

Plummy shades are common and tend to combine well with lighter tones of purple or complementary lemons and gold.

While those on the muddy brown side, such as the beautiful shrub Physocarpus "Diabolo", are better with bronzes, oranges and pale blues.

Dark banks of foliage look best when used occasionally in bright surroundings to add a sense of depth and shadow.

There are plenty of excellent blackish varieties of common shrubs to choose from, such as elderberry (sambucus), smokebush (cotinus) and berberis, as well as many natives (see sidebar).

For those smitten by sooty shades, if you feature dark materials in your hard landscaping it's better not to slavishly follow the theme in your planting, too.

A few blackish tints in flowers will make the point but better to eschew large tracts of dark foliage which will not show up well and could tip your design from stylish into gloomy.

You want things to look cool and sophisticated but you don't want it to looks like somebody turned out all the lights.

TOP BLACK PLANTS

Mondo grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'): The top black plant most dramatically used massed as a surreal lawn contrasted with the white trunks of birches.

Pittosporum Tom Thumb: This cultivar is a dwarf and grows slowly, eventually reaching chest height. The leaves have a lively, glossy texture and glisten, especially after rain.

Coprosma Yvonne: There are plenty of blackish coprosmas. Karo Red is a smaller-leaved alternative which is good for topiary. Nothing comes close to Yvonne for its billows of polished growth which look best when left to grow naturally.

Phyllostachys nigra: A large and vigorous bamboo with polished jet stems. This beast needs to be contained and thinned regularly to highlight the beauty of each cane.

Arum elliottiana: There are several cultivars of this ephemeral bulb. Watch out for its disappearing act in midsummer after flowering and plug the gap with potted colour.

Physocarpus opulifolius Diabolo: A tidy deciduous shrub which as well as the attractive deep chocolate foliage clothes itself with flat white flower heads in spring.

Salvia discolor: A compact and grey-leaved shrub which needs winter protection. The fuss is worth it, for the jet-black-lipped flowers which peek out from white calxes.

Alcea rosea Nigra: The black hollyhock is a biennial plant which rockets up to head-height in its second year like a TV mast hung with velvety satellite antennae.