All things black and beautiful
The Untamed Gardener
Aisling Blackburn
“And I always asked my mother ‘Why is everything white?’... and the angel food cake was the white cake and the devil’s food cake was the chocolate cake, I always wondered?”
Muhammad Ali (Parkinson interview 1976)
It need not be said that the nights are closing in and autumn is upon us, but I am saying it anyway. An evening walk, air laced with incense of wood fire, offers psychological comfort against the chill of the oncoming cold nights and damp air. Looking down, I notice that something is eating the plums off the ground again. I am glad that they are not going to waste. It’s not the cat that is hanging around, a pine martin maybe, and I don’t know if foxes eat plums. It’s unlikely to be a rat, due to the presence of the cat Who knows? Hedgehog? Some nocturnal creature or other.
What to do now. Check the forecast for frost. Potatoes and carrots, get them out of the ground, the carrots anyway. Transplant your herbs for winter use into the polytunnel or glasshouse. Last chance to sow pakchoy and spinach, rocket and a few other bits. Mulch heavily your tender perennials, wrap up your palms and fragile pot grown specimens. Allow frost to kill your dahlias, it’s easier to lift them after all the top growth is gone, that is if you are lifting them, I don’t.
Tomatoes yes, some will still be green on the vine. If there is no urgency to clear the bed, just leave them there for a while or pick them and put in a drawer to ripen. Remove any brown leaves though and here’s a ripening tip: cut away all the leaves except the ones at and above the still to ripen fruit.
A lovely Lithuanian lady gave us two black tomato plants. Everyone is fascinated with them. I think I figured out the variety – it’s a toss up between ‘Indigo Rose’ and ‘Black Beauty’. The former is a saladette tomato and it’s supposed to look and taste a bit like plums and the latter is interesting in that the tomatoes are black from the time they emerge from the flower, which this one doesn’t seem to do, so that leaves us with what must be ‘Indigo Rose’.
It contains high levels of anthocyanins. The same compound that can be found in blueberries, blackberries, purple potatoes, elderberries, aronia berries, blackcurrants, black rice, sour cherries, red and black grapes among others. Incidently I just finished reading ‘ultra-processed people’ by Chris van Tulleken. I cannot recommend this book enough. It mentions anthocyanins, and the merits of eating foods high in them. Studies have shown how protective they are against oxidative stress, the root of many modern diseases.
Bishop’s Children – part of another successful plant story from a packet of seeds from ‘Seedaholics’. The plants are just exceptional. Granted they are all mignon single types, although some are showing signs of becoming collarette. This kind of flower is the best for insects, where there is a large ‘landing pad’ (central disc), full of nectar, rather like a sunflower, if you get the picture. The colours range from rust to deepest red with dark purple/black foliage. They have sprung from dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ (peony shaped) maybe you got one at the open day in Jampa Ling, we had lots to spare.
It is possible to go all goth-like and Victorian in your garden, but actually the dark foliage plants make a spectacular backdrop for any brightly coloured flower or variegated foliage. I can think of at least two tasty edibles - Dark Opal Basil, fragrant and delicious, and Perilla, a useful herb in sushi, Chocolate Cosmos smells richly of dark chocolate and though it’s not an edible elderberry ‘Black Lace’ very much is.
There are black tulips for spring; along with black pansies Viola wittrockiana and black velvet petunia for summer containers. Hellebore ‘New York Night’ for woodland gardens and smoke bush Cotinus ‘Winecraft Black’ now there’s a dark one. Black Mondo grass has always been popular especially when planted with white gravel, and there is another dark grass, but much more difficult to grow in our climate (though I persist in trying to) Pennisetum Purpureum, I think the colour black will always be taken seriously.
Throughout the ages it has represented power, magic, grief, secrecy, solemnity, evil, death, and elegance. At it’s most utilitarian the colour of sewing machines, trains and telephones, to luxury cars and little black dresses. And though dark colours may go in and out of fashion eating them will always be good for you, maybe they will balance those evil white foods, white bread, white sugar...