1. Elephant Ear (Colocasia ‘Jet Black Wonder'). This tropical stunner has large, heart-shaped leaves and can grow up to four feet. A great statement in a container, it can also be used as a bold-leaved plant in the garden or as a pond plant. Zone 9. Sun to partial shade.
2. Black Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘ Nigrescens’). This strappy evergreen’s grasslike foliage is as black as nature gets. It spreads slowly but makes an excellent deer-resistant ground cover. It features pale pink flowers in midsummer and black, fleshy seeds in the fall.
Zone 7. Sun to shade.
3. Green Cliff Brake Fern (C heilanthes viridis). Apple-green fronds on wire-thin black stems grow 12 to 18 inches tall in a stiff, upright habit that’s deer resistant. This fern, unlike most, prefers sun. Zones 7 to 9. Sun.
