How to Make Black Roses

Are Black Roses Natural?

If your friend is into gothic art or the macabre, a bouquet of black roses may be an ideal gift. Or you may just want to display them in your own home as a dramatic enhancement. We hate to burst your bubble, but black roses don’t actually exist; instead, they are created. Yes, black roses are real, but they start out red, crimson or white.

There are several ways to help Mother Nature shift your rose’s color from its original tint to black. Botanists are working on ways to grow a black rose plant, but if you don’t have several years to wait while they experiment, you can use a do-it-yourself method.

Think about the display you want to achieve. A mix of black and colored roses is attractive, as is a vase filled with white and black roses. And since the roses most likely start out red, a mixture of red and black roses may work for your purpose. Planning ahead makes the task easier in the end.

What You Need

• Deep vase, preferably made of glass or a material that isn’t affected by the dye
• Floral dye, such as Design Master’s Absorbit
  
• Floral spray, such as Design Master’s Colortool, which is especially made for flowers
• For the dip method, use Design Master’s Dipit
• Dip 100 Instant Pretreatment
• Floral preservative
• Newspapers

Making Black Roses With Dye

After the roses are at home and aired out, strip all the leaves from the stems. Leftover leaves will absorb the dye. Set them aside for use later.

Strip off buds that are fully opened and use only the semi-closed bloom because it will last longer. Cut the stems vertically underwater about 3 inches from the base to help them absorb the dyes. Mix the pretreatment solution and dip the rose stem into it; immediately add the rose to the vase containing 2 to 3 teaspoons of warm water and dye.

Place the vase in a cool location out of direct sun. This is when the magic starts. Within a few hours, the buds will start to change color. Science Notes suggests watching the water levels, and if they decrease, add more warm water infused with dye.

When the roses are the right tint of black, remove them from the dyeing water, cut the stems again, and place them in a fresh vase with cool water and the floral preservative.

Spray Painting Roses Black

Spray painting roses is the easier way to turn the buds black, but it’s also the messiest. Cut the stem vertically to open its pores. Prepare the work area by laying out newspaper. Try to spray on a day that is not humid.

Shake the can and stand back about 15 inches while spraying. Place each painted rose upright in a vase while it dries; then move them to a vase with cool water and the preservative.

Dipping Roses Black

Neater than spray painting and quicker than dyeing them, dipping a rose into a solution gives it immediate color. Unlike dyeing the rose, leave all the petals attached so that the full depth of the petal receives the coloring.

Pour the Dipit dye into a large container and follow the measurements spelled out in the instructions. Buckets work well.

Dip each flower head into the solution and leave it there for a few seconds. Remove it, shake it out, and rinse the flower head under running water. If the color isn’t intense enough, return the head to the bucket for another few seconds.

Maintaining Your Black Roses

Proflowers suggests refrigerating the roses at night to help preserve them. Also, when the vase water starts turning black, recut the stems and replace the water with cool water containing the preservative.

Float the leaves that you snipped away from the stem in the water to create an additional attraction for the vase.