As its name implies, it lends itself to the macabre. Night flowering plants, and dark coloured flowers and shrubs are part of the theme. For instance, some of the many in my garden include; Japanese Barberry, Royal Purple Smoke bush, Dark burgundy Dole Licorice Heucheras, Queen of the Night Tulip, Black Parrot Tulip, Black Hollyhocks which are just stunning, voodoo and dragonsblood sedum, black midnight pansys and dark purple crocuses are just a few living in my creepy garden. Furthermore, some of the night flowering plants are: Evening Primrose, moonflowers, NIght Phlox "Midnight Candy", Four o' clocks, Vesper Iris, Night Gladiolus, and of course the beautiful "Bat Pant, "Latin name is, Tacca Chantrieri"But I find the mainstay for any halloween/gothic garden are the accessories. You can pretty much transform any existing garden to a Gothic/Halloween by just adding some somber orniments. For example, here are some of the many included in my own garden; Gargoyles, Tombstones, Black cats, Fairies, Somber Angels, artifical bats, Green Man, Trolls, Moondials, Lionhead water fountain, and of course a good luck witch or two
to further the ambeince use old looking urns for planters, and plastic or iron fence planels to lend that spooky cemetery feeling.A must have for any true Halloween/Gothic garden is night roaming creatures. But remember the main trick to keeping these beauties requires planting the flora for their survival. for my own garden, the first creature that came to mind was the Bat. To draw their attention to your garden, there are 2 basic needs. 1) Provide a roosting area "bat house" and2) grow plants that attract night flying insects. You can easily build your own, their are plans on the internet, or by them at garden centers or on-line. Remember, it may take time to attract bats to your garden so don't get discouraged. Oh, some of the plants I grow to attract the insects they eat are: Phlox, Cornflower, and spearmint. Other oh so cool creatures to include in your spooky garden include; The Praying Mantis, Toads, Dragonflies, Spiders, Snakes and Ladybugs.
And finally, don't forget to personalize your garden. My own garden and surrounding porch is done in all black, such as; black fence, black planters and stands, even the watering can. And on our front porch bench I painted "Welcome To Our Cave"
Well, I really look forward to hearing how others have done their garden, what dark & spooky themes they do theirs in and any other wonderful ideas we can create.
^v^ Happy Gardening ^v^
