As garden season winds down and kids choose their Halloween costumes while imagining tricks and treats, there are some neat and spooky plants that can be enjoyed alongside this popular holiday. Please note that some of these selections are frost sensitive and may require additional cultivation and placement considerations to achieve maximum interest and impact as well as optimal use. Please. Here are 10 spooky, spooky, and generally otherworldly plants to consider during the Halloween season.
“Dreadlocks” Love and Lies Bleeding
Amaranthus caudatus, annual plant
The long, bright magenta flower clusters of this annual (3 to 5 feet tall) feature prominent knotted clusters. The woolly texture of these exotic flowers appeals to the senses, and the entire plant (popular since 1881!) is a remarkable architectural wonder.
‘Ghost’ hybrid painted fern
Atyrium hybrida, zones 4 to 8
Reaching 24 to 30 inches tall over time, this hybrid perennial fern has stunning silvery foliage that shines in the moonlight in the evening garden. Ideal for shade or partial shade, the “ghost” fern is a hybrid of lady fern and Japanese painting fern. They have an upright shape and attract attention with their showy, ghostly silver color when singly or in groups.
Ornamental chili pepper “Black Pearl”
Capsicum, annual plant
This pepper’s dark black foliage is a surprisingly rich background for the glossy black berries that ripen to cherry red later in the season. The fruit is very hot, so it is not recommended to eat it. Perfect for garden beds and containers, this heat and drought tolerant pepper reaches 18 inches tall and can be used for impact in Gothic gardens or as a bold accent in combinations.
“Dracula” Celosia
Celosia cristata, annual plant
This well-known annual is characterized by giant crowned celosia flowers in red and purplish-red tones. These dramatic, long-lasting, velvety flowers are amazingly textured to look at and touch. It reaches 16 inches in height and reveals its best red flower color in full sun.
“Silver Falls” Silver Nickel Vine
Dichondra argentea, zones 10-12 or as an annual.
A vigorous trailing plant, Silver Falls Silver Nickel vine is excellent as a ground cover, but it really shines when placed in a sunny container or basket where it can be swayed in the wind. The small fan-shaped leaves are a lovely color and, when properly cascaded, create a ‘silver waterfall’ effect. This tender plant also has added heat and drought tolerance.
ribbon bush
Homalocladium platycladum, zones 9 to 12 or as an annual.
Typically a shrub of the tropics, this plant is characterized by flat, glossy green stem segments connected by nodes. There are no leaves, and the stems carry out photosynthesis. This soft, novel plant is a conversation piece, and its appearance invites eager inspection. It is important to note that this plant, also known as the “tapeworm plant,” is mildly toxic to both humans and pets.
‘Pendula Bruns’ Weeping Serbian Spruce
Scots pine, zones 4 to 8
This conifer is a long-term investment in space and time, but with its pendulous branches arranged around a strong central leader, it’s clearly influential. No two specimens are the same. In the landscape, they take on individuality and character, either as a single component or as a group whose graceful habits can be enjoyed every day of the year. Over time, this plant averages 15 feet tall and 3 feet wide.
pumpkin with stick
Solanum integrifolium, zones 9 to 11 or as an annual.
Technically a type of eggplant (and edible!), this species forms multiple pumpkin-shaped fruits that eventually turn from green to bright orange-red as temperatures cool. It changes. The fruit that runs along the entire stem can be used as a gorgeous fall decoration or as a striking accent in fall arrangements or containers.
porcupine tomato
Solanum pyracanthum, zones 9 to 11 or as an annual.
Be careful not to get too close to this plant as you may need a bandage. Native to Madagascar and nicknamed “Devil’s Thorn,” this statuesque plant’s blue-green leaves (24 to 36 inches tall) are covered with upright devilish orange thorns on the stem, leaf midrib, and veins. There is. The deep purple flowers are lovely, but the marble-sized fruits that grow later are poisonous and should not be eaten.
peekaboo plant
Spilanthes oleracea, zones 9 to 11 or as an annual
It’s hard not to notice this plant when it’s in bloom. The yellow and red cone-shaped flowers look like an eyeball pointing upwards. It is also called the “toothache plant” because chewing on the flower buds immediately numbs the senses. Bronze-green foliage complements the many centerpiece flowers.
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Mark Dwyer is the Gardener at Edgerton Hospital Healing Garden and Physician Landscape Prescription in Edgerton, Wisconsin.
Photo: Mark Dwyer
