Spooky Plants for a Halloween Garden
Hi Spooky Season lovers!
You may have been intrigued by the Goth Garden trend that is making its rounds on the internet. If you don’t know what that is, you can check out my Goth Garden Post. If that appeals to you, but you prefer a little color or plants with more personality, you might be interested in more of a “Halloween Garden”. I’d consider that to be a collection of more diverse plants instead of a Goth Garden where you mainly focus on black or darker-colored plants.
Now, I’m going to be honest, the plants I’ve included here are more for fun than practicality’s sake. That’s not to say that you can’t grow some or any of the following plants depending on where you live, it’s just to say that as always, some due diligence is necessary on your part when planning your own spooky plant extravaganza.
Get ready to be inspired or at least spookified:
Dryopteris erythrosora Brilliance Autumn Fern, zones 5-9
This plant is native to the following countries of: Japan, Korea, China, and the Philippines, but can grow in Hardiness zones 5 – 9. This plant is the epitome of Autumn and will provide instant Fall vibes. As a huge plus, Gardenia says that this plant “thrives on neglect” so you may even be able to keep it alive! Or at least find kinship with it 😉
Dark pink Amaranth or Amaranthus cosmopolitan, zones 2-11
There are different shades of Amaranth that you can grow, I just used the Dark Pink one because I think it adds a fun splash of color, especially if you are adding it to your Goth Garden. As you can see, it’s unusual shape adds a touch of the mysterious or spooky which is perfect for that spooky vibe.
White Baneberry or “Doll’s Eyes”, Actaea pachypoda, zones 3-8
You can’t have a list of spooky plants without mentioning this guy. This one looks unsettlingly like a cluster of doll’s eyes. There’s nothing spookier than dolls to me, I’m not sure about you, but they creep me out like nothing else. This plant is also considered to be toxic, with the berries being especially poisonous. So maybe this isn’t a good choice for your garden and it’s more of just a fun plant to mention here.
There is conflicting information online about the following two plants. They are very similar in looks and sometimes get mixed up, but according to their scientific names, they are two different plants:
Corpse plant “convulsion root” Monotropastrum humile
According to Tyler Arboretum, the reason the Corpse plant also goes by “convulsion root” is that it has a history of being used to treat seizures by indigenous peoples and early settlers of North America.
Ghost Pipe Flower Monotropa uniflora L.
Looks very, very similar to the Corpse plant. It is a “…translucent, ghostly white…” (more info can be found from the USDA).
Mimosa pudica or “sensitive plant”, “Touch me not”, “Tickle-me- plant”, zones 9-11
This one is extra fun since it is actually “sensitive” (hence the name “sensitive plant”) to touch and will close and start to droop after being touched. It will usually open back up after some minutes. If you haven’t seen it, you should check it out. It looks super cool.
Fungus:
As we all know, mushrooms are actually a fungus, so including them in this could be considered somewhat of a reach. However, they have some cool properties that I couldn’t resist sharing. Also, just knowing that they are fungus is kinda spooky in itself, right?
Inky Cap mushrooms Coprinopsis atramentaria (found in the wild throughout North America, Europe, Great Britain, and Ireland)
Aside from their initial appearance with their grey caps and the fact that they grow primarily on decaying wood, these mushrooms made the list since they actually start to digest their own caps, which causes them to drip black “ink”, hence their name “Inky cap”.
As time goes by, their appearance only gets spookier as their caps deteriorate more and more, turning into black “ink” or goo. Another interesting thing about them is that they are especially poisonous when consumed with alcohol. I am definitely not suggesting anyone eat anything on this list, but in case you are intrigued, definitely do a deeper dive into some research before you even think about it!
“Lion’s mane” or “Monkey head” mushrooms Hericium erinaceus (grows best in wild conditions)
These mushrooms just look really cool and have an air of otherness about them which appeals to me.
Carnivorous Plants:
Now we can’t have a post on spooky plants without including carnivorous plants! You have probably heard of at least a few of them. Carnivorous plants are extra interesting because they do not just rely on sunlight and photosynthesis to survive, like most plants. According to Brittanica, they are “… any plant especially adapted for capturing and digesting insects and other animals by means of ingenious pitfalls and traps.”
During my research, I have found that a lot of them are on their way to becoming endangered, so please do your research before purchasing any.
Venus Flytrap Dionaea muscipula, zones 7-10
Of course we have to start the carnivorous plant part of the list with the Venus Flytrap! I’d say it’s probably the most well-known of the meat-eaters. According to the National Wildlife Federation, this is one of the few plants that uses motion to trap their prey. Once their hair-like trichome projections are activated, the 2 pieces or “lobes” of the plant to shut together, trapping its prey. Pretty cool, right? A word of caution, though… each trap can only open and close a limited number of times before falling off. As tempting as it might be to play with it, you should probably leave it alone for the most part.
Its status is currently listed as “vulnerable” but was recently petitioned to be listed as “endangered”. This plant can be kept as a potted plant, but really does better in the wild. These are just a few things to consider when contemplating an addition to your Spooky Plant collection.
Sundew drosera, zones 9-10
Sundews are another cool carnivorous plant. This is a pretty wide collection of plants; 152 different ones live in this family. Sundews don’t open and close like the Venus Flytrap, but they also make use of trichomes, the hair-like projections that Venus Flytraps also have. The trichomes on the Sundew plants excrete a sticky substance that attracts their prey and then traps the prey (usually insects), engulfs and then digests them.
Tropical pitcher plant Nepenthes, zone 10
This plant is characterized by the pitcher shape of its body. The rim is slippery when wet, which causes small insects and the like (sometimes even rodents) to fall into the “pitcher” part of the body, which is filled with digestive fluids that break down and digest the unfortunate insect or animal.
Butterwort Pinguicula, zones 7-9
This plant has sticky leaves that trap insects and other small prey. Once caught, the leaves curl around the prey and digest it.
There are, of course, many more carnivorous and other fun plants and mushrooms to explore. These are just a few of my favorites. What would you include in your own spooky or Halloween garden? I’d love to hear in the comments!
Xoxo,
Dannie