Gossypium herbaceum ‘Nigra’

If you want to grow something unique that few gardeners will have, try planting black Cotton. Sure to be a conservation topic when showing friends around your landscape, it is also quite attractive. The plants have leaves and bolls of dark burgundy-black with flowers that are pinkish-burgundy while the cotton itself is white. My dad picked cotton as a boy in eastern Oklahoma in the 1950’s but never imagined growing it as an ornamental in the garden. Some states require a permit to grow cotton in the home garden due to necessary monitoring of cotton boll weevils, but Oklahoma has been free of this pest for several years.