Houseplants for Your Inner Goth
October is my favorite time of year at The Plant Lady SF (and in life). It's the one month when I get to indulge my love of all things spooky and turn the spotlight on one of my favorite collections: goth plants!
Why goth plants, you ask?
I’ve always loved the Halloween aesthetic. As a kid, my favorite movie was The Nightmare Before Christmas. My first plant in high school was a Venus fly trap. In fact, carnivorous plants kicked off my entire plant obsession.
I also grew up obsessed with the weird curiosities at Paxton Gate (if you haven’t been to this Valencia Street institution, drop what you’re doing and go there now). When thinking about opening a brick and mortar shop, I took inspiration from them and set out to do my own thing: a shop for plant lovers, where once a year I could cultivate that Halloween aesthetic, even if just for fun. Thus, the goth plant collection was born.
Which raises a good question: what makes a plant goth, anyway?
I like to think about the kinds of plants you'd find in a spooky setting. What would you find in Hill House, for example? The Haunted Mansion? There are plenty of different ways a plant can be goth. The most obvious trait is dark foliage: deep blacks and punchy purples. But a plant can also be spiritually goth—carnivorous plants are a good example of this. There are also textures and shapes (spiky leaves, trailing forms, anything that might produce a dramatic silhouette) that lend themselves to the gothic sensibility.
One of my favorite plants, Begonia ‘Black Velvet’, embodies all of these things. It’s a vintage cultivar with dark color and textured, spiky leaves. Or take the Rhipsalis paradoxa, with its creeping cascading stems. Even its name is spooky! We love curating our Halloween-inspired plant collection and encourage you to check it out for ever-evolving inspiration.
On that note, let’s talk design. If you’re looking to dial up the Halloween vibes at home, there’s no need to bust out the moody Victorian wallpaper (although if you want to do that, I’m not going to stop you). Contrast is super effective: a striking dark-hued plant against a light colored wall will stand out. You don’t even need to buy new plants! Add drama to your existing plants just by swapping out the pots they’re in. Pothos in a skull pot? Instant goth.
The most important thing to remember is: there are no rules. If you think a plant is goth, it is.
I’m especially jazzed that some of these styles are enjoying a comeback lately. While the minimalist cylindrical pots of the late 2010s will always be a classic choice, we’re seeing interior aesthetics move toward a more vintage and curated style, where pieces can be mismatched and colored to your heart’s content. So just remember, if you’re searching for a way to make your space a little more witchy and weird, we’re here for you.
If you have a favorite goth plant or a spooky nook at home, we’d love to hear about it! Drop a comment below or share on Instagram and tag us!