A striking addition to any wildlife and sensory garden, this compact perennial, most commonly grown as an annual, dazzles with its dark, velvety pincushion flowers that start as nearly black and reveal rich red highlights as they mature. 'Chat Noir' features a clump of grey-green leaves from which the long, wiry stems emerge, topped with pleasantly fragrant blooms that attract butterflies and bees throughout the growing season. While often considered short-lived, this plant has proven to be a reliable perennial providing it has some shelter from the worst of any winter cold or waterlogging, offering an unusual and vibrant twist to herbaceous or mixed borders, and cutting gardens where it pairs beautifully with more subdued plants and grasses.