Spooky Plants to Spruce up Your Halloween
Halloween is just around the corner. The spookiest time of the year sees people of all ages get excited; kids will get dressed up on the search for chocolates and pubs will offer prizes for the scariest costumes. Pumpkin sales will go through the roof as we all try a new artistic design, while houses and establishments will be awash with fake blood, spiders’ webs, and skeletons.
But, what if you could enhance your Halloween décor by including some of the world’s spookiest looking plants? Here, alongside Suttons, who offer a range of gardening gifts, we take a look at the quirky flowers that would fit in to any Halloween display.
Venus Fly Trap
Perhaps the best-known of the ‘spooky’ plants. This carnivorous plant is native to subtropical wetlands on the East Coast of the United States, but it is a popular choice for lovers of quirky flowers. Charles Darwin once described the plant as ‘one of the most wonderful in the world’. Those who have witnessed the fly-eating flower snapping shut on an unsuspecting insect will know why! This very distinct plant is a great choice to ‘jazz’ up your Halloween display. If it’s good enough for The Rocky Horror Show, then it should be good enough for any home’s décor in the scary season.
Bat Flower
This peculiar species, which unfortunately for Halloween lovers flowers in spring time, is a unique black flower with a resemblance of a bat. In Malaysia it is known as the Devil’s flower and many natives are afraid of looking into its ‘eyes’ as they fear death may follow! However, residents in the UK often purchase this foliage because of its attractive ‘whiskers’ and orchid-like appearance.
Black Roses
Roses may traditionally be the flower of love, but what about a black version? There are several types you can purchase, including Black Velvet roses, Black Magic roses, and Black Cherry roses, so add ‘darkness’ to your display with this quirky number.
Corpse Flower
This flower gets its nickname from the awful smell it gives off. Native to Sumatra’s equatorial rainforests, it has a pointy stalk and skirt-like covering, but only blooms for several days. It is at this moment that its odour is reminiscent of rotting flesh. This rare flower, officially called titan arum, only blooms every couple of years, so unfortunately you may not be in luck for Halloween, but perhaps even this plant is one step too far for your display!
Bleeding Heart
This flower is aptly shaped like our main organ — well, at least the version you’d see on a Valentine’s card! The heart-shaped bloom appears to have a tear drop-esque petal which gives it its rather scary name. Normally a spring flower, if you are able to get a hold of them in the autumn months, they could provide the perfect backdrop for your Halloween display.
Brain Cactus
This bright green cactus would look right at home in a skull-style plant pot during the Hallowe’en period. Its curvy stems all wrap around one another to create a round shape which makes this plant look a lot like the human brain!
Chinese Lantern
Not only are these plants perfect for spooky displays, they actually produce edible berries too! They are easily spotted due to their delicate, bright orange covering that looks like a small pumpkin. As the fruit ages, this cover beings to waste away and this leaves a cage-like shell that appears to trap the berry inside.
Of course, this is just a handful of the world’s spookiest plants. With others that have names such as Deadly Nightshade, Devil’s Claw and Doll’s Eyes, the world is full of scary sounding — and looking — floral products. However, it’s not just plants and flowers that can make us shiver. So why not enhance your Halloween experience this year by veering away from the norm and adding in some unusual products!
