The Stunningly Beautiful Black Roses of Halfeti

Hi there! Wonderful to see you! Welcome to my virtual café where the coffee's always fresh and there's a rose garden display of virtual muffins, doughnuts and assorted other treats. Dig in! Did I say 'rose garden'? Can't imagine what I was thinking about...except maybe...

Turkish Halfeti Roses are incredibly rare. They are shaped just like regular roses, but their colour sets them apart. These roses are so black, you’d think someone spray-painted them. But that’s actually their natural colour.

These stunning black roses would make excellent props in a movie about witches and black magic, or in a heavy-metal video. There’s something extremely attractive about them, in an intense sort of way.

Although they appear perfectly black, they’re actually a very deep crimson colour. These flowers are seasonal – they only grow during the summer in small number, and only in the tiny Turkish village of Halfeti. Thanks to the unique soil conditions of the region, and the pH levels of the groundwater (that seeps in from the river Euphrates), the roses take on a devilish hue. They bloom dark red during the spring and fade to black during the summer months.

Can't say I'm much of a rose fan myself though I know there are all kinds of folks who go gaga over them. Me? I lean more towards lupins, snap dragons and orchids. My preference is brightly coloured flowers that are easier to maintain than the thorny type! Many a time I have stuck myself including this past summer because we inherited white and red roses with the house...and no matter how I hack them off, the darn things just spring back energized.  I sort of like the little red ones  but don't tell anyone I said that.

See ya, eh!

Bob