Goth Gardening
Put on that black eyeliner and spiked choker, blast some haunting tunes and wander through the macabre garden.
Flecked with dark and alluring flowers and foliage, this collection of plants is sure to bring back the dead. Black and purple tones can set the mood for a dreary night, while nocturnal flowers and ghostly blooms can reflect the light from the full moon. Check out these frightening plants to add to your goth garden.
Moonflower
Take a midnight stroll in the garden during a full moon to witness the white glow of this mesmerizing flower. Moonflower (Ipomoea alba), also known as tropical white morning-glory, is a native Florida annual sure to enthrall the senses. This pale flower lurks in the night, only unfurling once the sun goes down and closing at the break of day. The fragrant blooms are pollinated by various creatures such as the hummingbird moth (Hemaris spp.), which makes an eerie hum with its wings.
Coleus
Popular foliage plant Coleus scutellarioides has some cultivars that will make you cackle with delight. ColorBlaze® ‘Wicked Witch™’ sports large purple leaves with lime green outlines along the edges. There are other dark purple options like ‘Fancy Rose’ and ColorBlaze® ‘Dark Star’. Coleus is a mounding annual that reaches up to 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide. It can survive in the ground or as a container plant inside or outside the home. Its colorful, toothed leaves are long-lasting, sure to continue luring in visitors until its dying day.
Ornamental Sweet Potato
There are several cultivars of ornamental sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) that provide dark foliage suitable for a goth garden. ‘Sweet Caroline Bewitched After Midnight™’ and Illusion® ‘Midnight Lace’ have deep purple to black leaves that cast a spell. These cultivated groundcovers can darken the mood as they creep along the earth. Sweet potato is a vigorous-growing plant that can twine and will produce tubers, although the ornamental varieties are more for show than taste.
Black Petunias
Black cultivars of petunia (Petunia x atkinsiana) bring a gothic feel to a garden, with dark purple colors resembling the dreary black of night. These unusual Florida annuals have many dark and twisted cultivars such as ‘Black Cat’ (also sold as ‘Black Velvet’), ‘Phantom’ and ‘Pinstripe’. Their velvety appearance can be quite striking, making a dramatic addition to the landscape where only the brave dare venture.
Blood Lily
With its vibrant red blooms, Scadoxus multiflorus is sure to lure in those with bloodlust (for bright colors). The globe-shaped flower heads appear to hover in mid-air, adding to their spooky appeal. Blood lily can reach up to 2 feet in height with an orb of flowers up to 10 inches wide that bloom all summer long. At the base of each plant is a bulb characteristic of all lilies, which can be divided and replanted to grow more plants.
Rayless Sunflower
The rayless sunflower (Helianthus radula) is not your typical sunflower — it lacks the showy petals of other members of the Asteraceae family and instead consists of tightly packed flowers at the end of a long stalk. The leaves of the rayless sunflower grow close to the ground while the flower extends upwards, reaching up to 3 feet. They are native to Florida and bloom in the summer and fall. The flower’s deep purple to brown color gives off a mysterious energy.
Ghost Orchid
While not available for the home garden, no list of gothic plants would be complete without Dendrophylax lindenii. Ghost orchid is a leafless white flower that bobs in the wind like a ghost in the breeze. Its lanky petals dangle from the long stem, and the flower itself is about 5 inches long. The ghost orchid’s photosynthetic roots cling to the trunks of various tree species like cypress and pond apple. This swamp-dwelling orchid is native to Florida and endangered in the wild. Ghost orchid is only cultivated for conservation purposes. Where it is established in Collier and Hendry counties, you can venture out and look for this flower on twilight eco-tours.
Embrace the allure of blooms or foliage with a darker palette and walk in the glow of those that reflect the moonlight. This collection of plants is sure to resurrect the things that haunt your dreams.
Return to the October 2025 Neighborhood Gardener