Black Roses : Magic and Mysticism
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!
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