The magic of black flowers has attracted our attention for centuries. Black tulips and black roses appear to originate from a fairytale world. A pure black flower is the Holy Grail of plant breeders worldwide. Their improbable and "unnatural" colour inspires a powerful feeling of mystical expectation.

Black flowers were also beloved of Art Nouveau designers at the previous turn of the century. Victorians and Edwardians at the cutting edge of fashion used to collect them, going to great lengths to track down exotic species. Will they once more - at the dawn of a new century and a new millennium - become a source of artistic and philosophical inspiration?

In reality no pure black flowers exist. The so-called black tulip is actually very dark purple and the black rose is, in fact, very dark red. There are other less common cut flowers which occasionally occur in "black" forms - they all ooze decadence, mystery, fascination.

With their very unusual petals, black roses make you think of velvet - deep soft cushions in a luxurious winter room. All this topped with the wonderful scent of flowers! With the black rose you float away to exotic places which are filled with the scent of roses. Boudoirs of plump maidens relaxing in perfumed harems.

Combining black roses in a bouquet is not easy, but not impossible. To maintain the mystical feeling of the black, one of the best combinations is black roses with black ivy berries. They are available at the florists throughout the winter. The red-black of the rose with the blue-green black of the berry creates a perfect harmony.
The darkest roses to ask for include "Black Magic", Barkarole", Black Beauty" and "Baccara".

A totally black bouquet looks dark and impressive - but perhaps a little sombre. Brown-red tints can enrich the black. Mix in hypericum for example, or chilli pods. Or better still, sparkle it up with grey and silver leaves - some of which have a sensuous furry feel... Very decadent!