While an Old Man Cactus will get up to 20 feet tall when growing in its native environment, it’ll stay much smaller in a container in your home.
If you’re seeking more than a Jack-O’ Lantern for your porch this fall to scare visitors, plant lovers can veer to the eerie this fall with spooky and unusual plants.
Inside or outside, in containers or not, there are several ways to creep up your home though some do require a “black” thumb.
Inside your home, one of the spooky favorites is the Venus Fly Trap. Known to go crazy and eat people when plants go wrong in “Goosebumps” books, if taken care of correctly, Venus Fly Traps do enjoy munching on insects.
To successfully do their “job,” they do need quite a bit of care.
Prepare to give them generous waterings with rain or distilled water, lots of sun, soil that is low in nutrients, and of course, yes they also would love a humid environment if possible.
Once your plant is thriving, it’s tempting to reach fingers and pencils in, but try to let them stick to insects so they can preserve their energy.
Another quirky oddball to set on a warm windowsill is an Old Man Cactus.
The long, wispy white hair gives it the look of an old and peculiar man… only as a cactus. While they’ll get up to twenty feet tall when growing in their native environment, they’ll stay much smaller in a container at your home.
Be sure not to overwater and your elderly companion will be good to go!
Another spooky favorite is the Bat Flower. It’s wispy bracteoles and dark color can make it’s pods and petals resemble the look of a bat. (It also resembles an orchid, but it is not).
While it is a tropical plant from Asia, us Marylander’s can still grow indoors in a container, keeping in mind they like their environment moist so perhaps a room where you already use a humidifier.
The spookiest variety is the black but you can also find this unusual looking flower in a large white, maroon, green or white.
Yet another frightful yet finicky flower is the Dracula flower, also called the Voodoo Lily. If you like to feel like you’re being watched, these flowers are for you as they feature a distinct face.
Whether it’s that of Dracula, a dragon, or a baboon, the face features of these flowers make them a fun one to grow no matter what color variety you choose. These are in fact members of the orchid family also enjoy a moist environment.
To pay you back for the pampering, they do serve a practical use as their crushed leaves do soothe the skin when it is inflamed.
Looking for something outside, and dare we say, less demanding? Make a spooky swap from the classic lush and green elephant ears to the Black Magic Elephant Ear variety.
Their dark black purple color looks great in a large container, just be sure to bring it inside as the fall starts to get chilly as they too are a tropical plant.
When it does cool down, they’d be a great houseplant addition to a room with darker color and design elements year round as long as they are near a window for some indirect sunlight.
They are toxic so be wary if you have pets that are nibblers at home!
If you are open to adding a full-time moodiness to your garden, work in some Black Mondo Grass. Easy to grow to create ground cover, the dark to black varieties thrive here in zone 7 just as the “normally” colored green varieties.
They’ll also produce purple-y flowers that end with an (inedible) berry towards the fall.
Many varieties of the leafy Coral Bell family can also add unusual interest to your in-ground garden.
With varieties that are dark like the “Chocolate Ruffles” to those with red blood like looking veins with the “Electric Lime,” they are more than suitable options for borders and ground cover that is outside the norm.
Another spooky plant you may be tempted by but may want to be cautious of adding to your own flower beds is the Devil’s Claw.
They stink and even ooze slime out! Their stench does attract small insects and traps them in their slime, but unlike other carnivorous plants, they don’t actually “eat” or absorb them.
Yet another threat is their sharp hook-like seeds that get hooked painfully in feet and paws as they drop.
If you do plant, beware — they are a gardener’s nightmare and can be very invasive to your garden if not planted in a container.
Not ready to take on any more plant babies, especially devilish ones? Take your normal potted plants and set them in a fun and festive container.
Trick or treat buckets, witch’s cauldrons, skulls and other Halloween finds will help celebrate in a whimsical but still a low-commitment way.
A few sets of carefully placed googly eyes never hurts either!
Ditch your green thumb and go dark and mysterious any time of the year!
