The Dark and Dramatic LandscapeCreating the perfect mood for the fall garden
By: Kathleen Hennessy for Monrovia
If spooky season has you thinking about adding a little mystery to the garden, you’re right on trend. Interest in plants with deep, dark foliage is growing, and modern breeding is bringing more color and size options for this design style. If you’re creating a true Gothic style garden or just want to add a touch of moodiness to the landscape or containers, you’re sure to find the perfect plants to add to your garden for this season and beyond.
“Goth Gardens are inspired by Victorian-era old world estate landscapes that were a bit mysterious, dark, and broody,” says Katie Tamony, plant expert and trend spotter at Monrovia. “These gardens were often created as places to reflect and remember, offering a haunting, romantic and reflective feeling.”
The modern take on this design focuses on dark foliage plants with interesting textures offset by glowing accents. Here are a few of our favorites.
Set the Mood
Even the name of Lilla Smoke Bush conjures up a moody ambiance. This compact selection features dramatic purple leaves that transition to shades of red in the fall.
The glossy black hue of Black Mondo Grass makes it the perfect addition to the Goth Garden design. Planted en masse as a border or a single plant tucked into a container adds just the right amount of spooky intrigue.
Velvet Viking™ Japanese Maple adds a lacy texture to the garden with deep red leaves that become more vibrant in fall. This compact tree makes a big statement in a container.
Black Forest Cake Heuchera features nearly black, deep purple foliage. Dramatic in the landscape, we especially love this heuchera in containers.
Bring Light to the Dark
Areas of contrast draw the eye’s attention and add a layer of mystery to the dark and dramatic garden. Here are a few bright and beautiful plants to add light in the dark.
Summerlasting® Coconut Crape Myrtle does double duty in this design style featuring dramatic dark foliage with ghost-like white blooms. Its compact form is perfect for containers and in the landscape, this fall and all year long.
Angel Wings® Senecio adds a silvery, spirit-like contrast to darker plants with velvety white leaves.
Miner's Merlot Spurge features showy bracts that glow in tones of bright yellow and chartreuse. They’re held up on deep maroon stems that stand out in containers or the landscape.
Surf™ Swell Hebe brings a combination of slivery-green foliage with a bright purple new growth to the moody garden. A wonderful border plant, this compact Hebe is also a must-have for containers.
Ready to design your own spooky fall container? Find great ideas in this trends video featuring a Goth Garden Container you can create today. Looking for more Goth Garden ideas? Head over to the blog on Monrovia.com.
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Big news in the design world: The color for the year encourages true relaxation and focus. To find inspiration for weaving this elegant color into you garden designs this year, click here for an interesting article.
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