Scary Plants for your Halloween Garden

October 10, 2018

Branch out from roses and tulips for some scary Halloween yard ideas!

This gross little blob is known as Devil’s Tooth. When moist and healthy, it bleeds droplets of bright red juice that inspire its other nickname, “strawberries and cream.” Yum. But a great idea for Halloween decorating.

Speaking of scary plants for your Halloween garden, the bat flower has ears and whiskers and a deathly black shade. This rare plant grows wild in China but needs TLC to grow in the U.S. Buy it for $20 from a nursery specializing in rare plants.

The Euphorbia sports colorful flowers and sharp thorns. If you’re looking for scary Halloween yard ideas, add a “danger” sign to this one. And be careful when trimming — its sap is toxic if ingested and can cause skin rashes. A potted start is $5.

The ghost plant is the vampire of the garden because it sucks its sustenance from other plants; but it gets its name from its ghostly appearance. This plant can grow in dark nooks and crannies, but it’s rare and difficult to cultivate.

The aptly named doll’s eyes are sure to enhance your Halloween decorating. But it is extremely poisonous. Ingesting it can lead to cardiac arrest and death. Seed packets are $3; a potted plant is $16.

The Chinese lantern plant produces a vivid orange flower that matures into a skeletal shell. In Japan, its seeds are used to help guide the souls of the dead. Cost: $2 for 50 seeds. Now that’s a scary plant for your garden on Halloween.

The Venus flytrap is named for the goddess of love, but it will enhance your Halloween decorating since it dines on insects. It’s native to the Carolinas. Well-cared-for flytraps can last 30 years. Buy them online for $8.

Angel trumpets are flowering shrubs whose hallucinogenic properties have been used by South American tribal cultures for sorcery and black magic. Before adding it to your Halloween garden, be warned that it’s extremely toxic and banned in some communities. Young plants are $20-$25.

Voodoo lilies resemble snakes and can reach four feet in height. Named for their magical ability to blossom without soil or water, they make for a low maintenance touch to your Halloween decorating. One downside: They smell like rotting meat. Bulbs are $10-$30.

Fake flowers never die. Make some, or buy them. This arrangement is $150.