Dress up your garden in some hair-raising plants this spooky season
As the garden season wraps up and Thomas Kyd are selecting their Halloween costumes with visions of tricks and treats , there are some neat , nervous plant that can be savor in tandem with this popular holiday . Do keep in judgement that some of these selections are frost sensitive and might need additional nurturing and consideration to emplacement for best employment as well as maximum interest and impact . Here are 10 spooky , creepy , and generally out - of - this - world plant life to look at for the Halloween season .
‘Dreadlocks’ love-lies-bleeding
Amaranthus caudatus , one-year
The foresightful , bright magenta flower tassels of this annual ( 3 to 5 substructure tall ) feature noteworthy knotted clusters . The woolly grain of these alien flowers invite tactile betrothal , and the entire plant ( democratic since 1881 ! ) is a noticeable , architectural marvel .
‘Ghost’ hybrid painted fern
Athyrium hybrida , Zones 4–8
arrive at 24 to 30 column inch in height over time , this intercrossed perennial fern has amazing silver foliage that glows in the evening garden with some moonshine . thoroughgoing in shade or fond nuance , the ‘ wraith ’ fern is a loanblend between lady fern and Nipponese painted fern . It has an just form and attracts tending with flashy , ghostly silvery as solitary specimens or in groupings .
‘Black Pearl’ ornamental hot pepper
Capsicum annuum , yearly
The dark black foliage of this pepper is an amazingly rich background for sheeny black fruit that mature to cherry red later in the season . The fruit are extremely hot and not recommended for usance . with child in garden beds or containers , this heat- and drought - resistant peppercorn strive 18 inches in elevation and is impactful in the Gothic garden or as a bold accent in combinations .
‘Dracula’ cockscomb celosia
Celosia cristata , annual
This well - named annual plant features huge , crest , cockscomb flowers in red and purplish - Marxist tone . These striking , long - lasting , velvety flowers are astonishingly textural for viewing and touch . Reaching 16 inches marvelous , the good red flush vividness appears in full sunshine .
‘Silver Falls’ silver nickel vine
Dichondra argentea , Zones 10–12 or as an annual
A vigorous trailing plant , ‘ Silver Falls ’ silver gray nickel vine excels as a ground cover or really shines in a full - sun container or basket where it can be permit to trail and wave in the walkover . The small , fan - shaped foliation is a nice color and fills out to portray a “ silver falls ” when it can properly cascade down . Heat and drought margin are added bonuses for this tender plant .
Ribbon bush
Homalocladium platycladum , Zones 9–12 or as an annual
Normally a shrub in tropic region , this plant features monotonous , glossy green stem segment that are jointed at the nodes . Predominantly leafless , the stems perform photosynthesis . This tender knickknack plant is a conversation piece , and its appearance encourages rapt review . Also called “ tapeworm plant , ” it ’s of import to note its mild toxicity for both homo and pets .
‘Pendula Bruns’ weeping Serbian spruce
genus Picea omorika , Zones 4–8
This coniferous tree is a long - terminus investment in space and prison term but is distinctly impactful , with pendulous branches coif around a unattackable central leader . No two specimens are indistinguishable . In the landscape , they take on personality and role as either solitary components or in groupings where their graceful riding habit can be bask every day of the twelvemonth . Over time , this plant averages a tallness of 15 foot and width of 3 feet .
Pumpkin-on-a-stick
Solanum integrifolium , Zones 9–11 or as an yearly
Technically a character of eggplant ( and comestible ! ) , this specie forms multiple , pumpkin - regulate fruits that ultimately age from green to a splendid orangeness red as the temperature gets cooler . total halt with fruits connected can be used as showy fall decoration and as striking accents in autumn arrangements or containers .
Porcupine tomato
Solanum pyracanthum , zone 9–11 or as an one-year
Be warned that patch might be needed if you get too near to this flora ! aboriginal to Madagascar and call “ Devil ’s thorn , ” the blueish - green , lobed leaf of this statuesque plant ( 24 to 36 inches tall ) have fiendish , orangish , upright thorns on the stems , folio midrib , and veins . The full-bodied purplish flowers are nice , but do n’t eat the marble - sized fruits that form later , as they are poisonous .
Peek-a-boo plant
Spilanthes oleracea , Zones 9–11 or as an annual
It ’s severely not to note this plant when in efflorescence . The yellow - and - red , strobile - shaped flowers look like eyeballs peering upwardly at the viewer . masticate a flower bud result in an straightaway numbing sensation , hence another name , “ toothache plant . ” The bronze - green foliage is a nice foil for the multitude of eyeball flowers !
line up more creepy plants for the spooky time of year :
And for more Midwest regional reports , clack here .
Mark Dwyer is the garden managing director for the Edgerton Hospital Healing Garden in Edgerton , Wisconsin , and he operates Landscape Prescriptions by MD .
photo : Mark Dwyer
o.k. Gardening recommend Products
plant in a Post - Wild World : Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes
okay Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site , including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs .
SHOWA Atlas 370B Nitrile Palm Coating Gloves , Black , Medium ( Pack of 12 Pairs )
The Crevice Garden : How to make the sodding home for plants from rocky place
Get our latest tips , how - to articles , and instructional videos get off to your inbox .
signal you up …
Related Articles
Plants for a Woodland Garden with Fall and Winter Interest
Have You Visited the Garfield Park Conservatory?
Add These Fragrant Annual Flowers to Your Garden in the Midwest
Grow a Beautiful Spring Bulb Lawn
link all right horticulture for a gratuitous engaging springy webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned plant pathologist as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals technical manager …
When I spot a particular George Sand dollar cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few months ago , I bed I was in trouble . With a delicious color pattern …
When we only prioritize plant we want over plant our landscape needs , each season is filled with a never - end list of chores : pruning , pinching , lacrimation , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …
Subscribe today and save up to 47%
Video
Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat
You must be measured when you go into the backyard of garden interior designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re probable to trip on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a brace …
4 Midsummer Favorites From a Plant Breeder’s Garden
Episode 181: Plants You Can’t Kill
Episode 180: Plants with Big, Bold Foliage
4 Steps to Remove Invasive Plants in Your Yard
All Access member get more
Sign up for afree trialand get accession to ALL our regional content , plus the rest of the phallus - only subject depository library .
jump Free Trial
Get complete site access to expert advice , regional subject matter , and more , plus the mark magazine .
Start your FREE trial
Already a member?sign in
Creepy, crawly, and eye-catching: your garden guests might think you teleported these plants from another planet.
When these cascading blossoms dry up at the end of the season, they make excellent accents for arrangements and containers.
While some might think it’s too good to be believed, this ghostly fern is doing everything but fading into the background.
Turning from midnight black to cherry red, these peppers let you know that they taste even scarier than they look.
We’re not sure who would love this fuzzy celosia more: Dracula, or a hoard of hungry zombies?
A fabulous foliage plant straight out of Cousin Itt’s container garden!
The segmented stems of ribbon bush lend to its other much creepier common names: “tapeworm plant” and “centipede plant.”
Looking to add year-round spookiness to your garden, but not much room to spare? ‘Pendula Bruns’ weeping Serbian spruce adds creepy character to narrow spaces.
Move aside jack-o’-lanterns; eggplants are the new vegetable of the season.
While porcupine tomato produces some lovely purple flowers, it is the bright orange thorns that steal the show.
While it’s hard to miss a peek-a-boo plant, there’s always the possibility that it will see you first.
