This Nearly Black Succulent Is The Perfectly Edgy Addition Your Garden Needs

When your fashion choices, home decor, and musical tastes are on the edgier side, you likely wouldn't mind bringing that to your landscape, too. While perhaps not a top color pick, the black rose succulent can add the uniqueness you're searching for, and despite its darker hue, elevate the entire mood of your indoor or outdoor garden.

Truly black blooms are rare and aren't the typical types you'll find growing naturally. So, when you come across these stunning and unusual dark-colored plants, they're showstoppers. The majority only appear an inky shade because of their darker pigmentation, with most trending towards deep purple, dark chocolate, and dark mahogany tones. Regardless, these dark-colored blooms add an air of mystery to traditional gardens.

The black rose succulent, also known as Aeonium zwartkop, comes from the western Canary Islands in Morocco. This statement-making plant proudly shows off its blackish leaves shaped like tiny rose petals, offering an unexpected splash of dark color. But the coolness of this plant doesn't stop there. The succulent can also produce clusters of yellow star-shaped flowers from its rosette center that attract plenty of pollinators — like bees and butterflies. And these succulents aren't high maintenance, either — they're actually one of the easiest plants to care for.

Black rose succulents can help purify the air in your home and brighten up any area. They can also be a backdrop for highlighting other plant colors around your garden or inside your home. Although considered a winter-to-springtime plant. Most succulents prefer dry, arid climates but can adapt easily to almost any environment, provided the conditions aren't too harsh. For those living in USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11 (Hawaii, central Florida, southern Louisiana, Texas, and western California), the black rose succulent will love making your garden its home as the climate is mostly hot and tropical where temperatures aren't prone to dipping dramatically. 

The low-maintenance black succulent is dormant for a short time during the summer months and requires very little water, but it will spring back to life once the cooler fall weather hits. This succulent prefers lots of sunshine to help it thrive, but it can also tolerate partial shade. If you want to keep your plant indoors (the ideal choice for those living in cooler climates), make sure it's sitting close to a window to catch those indirect light rays. 

Black rose succulents can be found online at Amazon and Succulent Box, but there are other types of black-ish plants to add to your garden for an edgy, goth aesthetic.

For outdoor gardens, the weather-tolerant "Black Beauty" pansy perennial ($3.99 at Center of the Webb) produces a rich black bloom perfect for an outdoor goth vibe. For a plush appearance, add black elephant ear bulbs ($29.99+ at Eden Brothers) for a tropical-style garden with a supersized look — its inky leaves can reach up to 3 feet long and 1 foot wide. The ornamental black dahlia flower ($14 at Organic Indiana Seeds) can effortlessly line the borders of your garden, and the blooms can be cut later to add a beguiling aura to any floral centerpiece.

Although some succulents shouldn't be grown together, you can still add other edgy black plants to bring your indoor space to life. The raven ZZ houseplant ($34 at Amazon) brings a moody goth look to the inside. The tropical succulent has oval-shaped leaves that will eventually turn to a purple-black color. With a similar look to the black rose succulent, the echeveria "Black Prince" ($6.49 at Mountain Crest Gardens) has pointy, velvety leaves in tones ranging from deep purple to dark brownish-black.