Black Sorbet™ Violas

Velvety black flowers get noticed

In a landscape full of bright green, pink, red, yellow, and blue you can bet on the black flowers to get noticed. They’re intriguing, of course, because they’re unexpected. Deep, rich velvety black ramps up the drama, and can also act as a neutral background to set off the brilliance of neighboring blooms and foliage. Let’s take a look at two striking black selections from the Sorbet™ viola series. 

‘Sorbet™ Black Delight’

‘Sorbet™ Black Delight’ is a solid, deep purple-black viola with a tiny yellow eye. Flowers are large and cover a blanket of fine green foliage all summer. If you look closely you’ll notice violet streaks at the ends of the stems, too. Sometimes we plant this with a yellow variety, like ‘Penny Primrose Bicolor’, to pick up the tiny spots of yellow.

‘Sorbet™ Black Jump Up’

‘Sorbet™ Black Jump Up’ is a bicolor; blooms have deep purple whiskered faces and black upper petals. A group of these planted together is stunning, as they offer the best of both worlds—bright and dark—in one package. Like ‘Sorbet™ Black Delight’, each flower here is dotted with a tiny, bright yellow eye. 

We gravitate toward the Sorbet™ series for landscape projects especially, because they’re more cold-tolerant than other varieties and bounce right back after a rain. They have a nice compact habit, plus—as you can see by the two selections we’re discussing today—they offer a unique range of colors.

Plant these along a walkway for up-close viewing

These beautiful violas are low-maintenance and perform well in full sun to partial shade. They’re truly eye-catching wherever they go: between steppingstones, along the edge of a path, or filling a hanging basket. Black is an unusual flower color so we make a point of planting it up close, where passersby can get a better look—or touch—to satisfy their curiosity.

On a side note, violas are actually edible. Imagine these luxurious blooms garnishing a salad or decorating a dark chocolate cake with raspberry frosting. Sounds like a nice way to end a long day in the early spring landscaping beds. 

‘Black Delight’ comes in the 6-inch pot. ‘Black Jump Up’ is available in the 1203 flat, 1801 landscape tray, and 6-inch pot. ‘Penny Primrose Bicolor’ comes in the 1203 flat as well.