Great Blue-black is Before the Storm. It always photographs black for me.

The blackest red I've seen is a toss up between Goliath Challenged and Chief Waukesha. It's not that they are blacks, rather they are very dark maroon, dark red with black casts.

I've heard great things about Midnight Oil but have yet to see it in person as it hasn't bloomed for me yet. Also, Randy's got a great black seedling that he's watching. Maybe he'll post a pic of it again. Especially, considering we all like to look at it.

Hello Darkness has been great for me. Ghost Train is another good one, so far anyways. I just got Midnight Oil last year, so I can't comment on it yet.
Jen

Matt McNames without a doubt!

Walter Moores

`
thanks for the responses, fellas. :)

(i'm surprised more folks didn't chime in, 'tho.)

in your opinions, are blacks not as popular as the other hues?

cheers :)

Just going by awards, "Before the Storm," and "Hello Darkness" have won the Dyke's Medal...the highest honor an iris can win.

Having grown both of these, I would recommend "Hello Darkness," primarily because it seems to have a better substance.

I actually think that "Ghost Train" is the best looking of the blacks that I've seen, but it hasn't always bloomed for me. (the standards are dark purple, and the falls are black)..."Ghost Train" is a real looker when it performs

I haven't seen enough black iris to say that this is the best, but it may be the last. Except for one pink that has been growing in the shade, DARK PASSION (Schreiner 98) is the last stalk standing in my garden. I know it had at least 8 buds and it had nice flaring form. It's a good one.

Matt McNames is really terrific here. No one has come to the garden while it was in bloom and didn't ask about it. It is also VERY hardy. It tolerates cold and survived in the worst of the high rot area that I had in one of the beds last year.

Black Suited by Innerst also would get my vote. Midnight Oil has been quite dependable as well.

Robin Shadlow
zone 5 NE

Matt McNames does not burn in the sun in our heat. It tolerates rain, humidity, whatever and grows and blooms without any pampering. I don't think it is widely listed, which is unfortunate. I bought it as a tiny left-over scrap three years ago, and now have three magnificent clumps.

Walter Moores

Anvil of Darkness and Patricia Claire out-blacked Hello Darkness this year in my garden.

Here in the PNW I have not had the best of luck with black irises. Black Tornado took four years to bloom for me and had at least one rotting rhizome every year. Before The Storm is stunning, but doesn't increase well here, and the stalks always flop too (but it is possible this is due to location in my garden). Black As night is lovely, but also a slow increaser and isn't all that black, but dark wine. Two historic black noids increase and bloom well, but only if it's cool - heat wilts them immediately.

Best of luck on your quest.

Mike

here's my before the storm, AFTER the storm.

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Hello Darkness is probably my favorite and I have a number of black iris.

BEst Blacks should include Blackout. I grow all these mentioned witht the exception of Randy's seedling and dark passion. My favorites are in this order.
Before the storm
Blackout
Matt Mcnames
Midnight OIl (BAd stalks lovely flower)
Black Suited
I would say these are the top 5
Randall

Roni, that is a great picture! You show imagination with regard to the camera. Given the name of the Iris, plus the water droplets, the pic says it all. I hope you don't mind but I have saved it as the wallpaper on my monitor.

My word, I did not realize there were so many black Iris! I am slowly collecting what I thought was available, but I can see, now, I am going to need more Iris beds. Just what I need.........ANOTHER project, already! I want to keep them seperate.

David

Thank you David. It's flattering to be asked.

Roni

Roni, this is my first year for my "Before the Storm" to bloom. It wasn't as dark as yours. A tad more purple, but maybe it being transplanted into a new spot had something to do with it as it stayed in the garage all last winter in a pot.

Do you have pics of other varieties of black Irises in your garden?

David

Strange to get this far into the list and not see SUPERSTITION, or did I overlook it?

BEFORE THE STORM and ANVIL OF DARKNESS were both puny here and laid down if somebody across the street sneezed.

RAVENWOOD was my favorite for years and years and was sure to win the Best 'Black' in the show.

BLACK PATENT, LICORICE STICK, BLACK FOREST....anybody still have these? Along with DUSKY CHALLENGER, they are all dark purples, except for the falls on BLACK PATENT, which could shine like patent leather. Think it had a bud count of three or four and the stalks would snake, but what a flower!

Walter Moores

Geeeeeezzzzzzz, you guys just keep coming up with more and more black'ns...........this will cost me a purdy penny! I'm keeping a list of 'em all. I appreciate knowing what to look for tho. It's fun. Licorice Stick! The name makes it sound like it would be a rich shiny black. I'll hit the web tonight and see if I can find one.

Walter, you seem to know the names of so many. How many of these do you actually have?

David

I have been around 'modern' irises since the fifties.

Many of these you will have difficulty finding. I don't have some of those oldies but I do have THE BLACK DOUGLAS.

Walter Moores

Old Black Magic
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Ghost Train
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Ghost Train again
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For a tiny one, Devil Baby - Keppel '05 SDB
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Oh, that's nice! Ka-ching!

OK, I finally figured out how to post photos.
Here are Hello Darkness, Patricia Claire, Anvil of Darkness, and Before the Storm
Hello Darkness

the photos really help in "getting to know" these black irises. a lot of photos on iris seller sites seem to have the color retouched.

it's also especially good when folks have described how these irises have grown for them. for example, i'm now much more interested in matt mcnames because of walter moores' description of its growth habit and vigor.

i had ordered "before the storm" last year, but it didn't come up. i'll give it another year or so to see if it needs more time to get established.

has anyone had any experience with "sheba's queen" or "witch's wand"? sheba's queen has a very interesting form (to me).

cheers :)

I have had WITCHES WAND for at least 3 years. I would not call it a black. It is less hardy than say SUPERSTITION which I also would consider more purple than black.

WITCHES WAND

SUPERSTITION

wow! i would have +never+ guessed that "witch's wand" looked like that from the photos i've seen on sellers' sites (which are +much+ darker, and the colors are more saturated). it's still a knockout, but much different then sellers' photos would suggest.

thanks for the pic!

cheers :)

Dave --

I just noticed that you asked about other blacks in my garden. I'm afraid that other than Hello Darkness and Midnight Oil (which have not bloomed for me as of yet) I don't have blacks.

I did just order EDENITE from my local supplier.
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and have a red that is dark "ox-blood" red called CHIEF WAUKESHA.
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ZEBRA NIGHT is on variegated foliage and is such a dark purple that it appears black to the naked eye.
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Oh, I forgot about HARLEM HUSSY
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Here's one that nobody else has mentioned: Swahili. It's a red-black. Anyone else growing Swahili?

Today our first black TB opened, this is Interpol

No one mentioned the SDB Dark Vader, Miller '87, which has blue beards. Cute!

I just bought a pure white TB called Arctic Fury. Very nice and am planning on buying Before the Storm to grow next to it. Around them, on the ground, a pretty lime sedum called Angelina.