I would love pops of color in my future garden, but I want them to pop out from a sea of spooky black.

I just finished reading a book called Black Plantsby Paul Bonine. This is an amazing book for any goth or gardener or in between. It got me thinking about which of these 75 striking plants I could actually plant without needing a greenhouse. So, I looked up Washington states winter hardiness zones.

For those of who don't know, as I didn't before reading this book, a hardiness zone is the geographical area that a plant can grow in according to temperature (hardiness). So, basically, it is the lowest temperature a plant can survive without dying. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has divided this into 13 zones, which is really a lie because many of the zones have sub sections.

The point being, I live throughout the year between Seattle and Tacoma, so our PNW hardiness zone is normally around 8a to 8b, which means nothing until I tell you that's temperatures of about 10F to 20F. However, the entirety of Washington State ranges all the way from 4b (-25F to -20F) up to 9a (20F to 25F).

These are all a bunch of numbers that if you aren't a gardener or really love the weather don't mean much. So how about I just tell my fellow Seattleites just a few that they can plant outside to add some frightening to their flowers.

'Non-Stop Mocha Mix' Begonia

Photo by JACLOU-DL on Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/en/flowers-begonia-white-white-flowers-2689253/

These come in flowers from white, to bright oranges and crimsons and yellows. However, this particular beauty has dark black leaves with deep green veins, a perfect way to add depth to any garden.

Water heavily, and keep in the shade.

'Australia' Canna Lily

Photo by sandid on Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/en/canna-lilies-flowers-bloom-red-sky-491076/

A beautiful perennial, this flower has dark stalks and dramatic black and burgundy leaves. But just wait until summer hits and it's bright red flowers flash into bloom.

Water heavily, and keep this tropical love in the sun.

'Bishop of Llandaff' and 'Karma Chocolate' Dahlia

Photo by MabelAmber on Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/en/dahlia-flower-red-plant-bloom-3584916/

Here are your pop of color plants and dark foliage frames. Have bright red flowers, or chocolaty crimson and black. Either way, you'll end up with beautiful backing from dark leaves.

Water heavily, and leave this darling dahlia in the sun.

'Platt's Black' New Zealand Flax

Photo by PollyDot on Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/en/phormium-tenax-flax-harakeke-flower-318889/

This is more a plant than flower, having sharp spiky leaves that go straight up. These leave grow to be rich, dark, and a glossy black.

Water heavily, and leave this one in the sun.

All of these plants love lots of water, so they will love living in Seattle where the rain never seems to stop. The state is Washington after all, so let's let it wash-a-ton.

I'm definitely going to try growing some of these in my garden, and I may even take some of the others from the book and bring them into my house to live if they don't like the weather outside.

The most important thing is that my garden will be real and ready for Halloween every season now, not just in Fall with fake flowers.