Try Growing a “gothic Garden” This Year.

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Many of us are people who scatter seeds around the garden hoping for something to grow. After a while, you may start to lean toward a color scheme that you like (for example, I don’t buy pink or white flowers anymore; there are too many of them). But for some of us, the charm and uniqueness of a dark space resonates, and in such cases, a Gothic garden is the perfect solution.

Gothic gardens, an antidote to the solid whiteness of the lunar garden , celebrate the growing number of black flowers and fruits grown. There are many flowers, both annuals and perennials, that can bring darkness to your landscape. Combined with the greenery they grow on, the effect is rich, gothic and mesmerizing. With a growing fan base, you can spend endless hours on Instagram admiring the lush landscapes of fans like Chloe Hearst and Kat Bauer .

These are no longer just flowers. While black peppers and tomatoes have gained popularity in the last few years, black pumpkins are making an appearance this year. Present them on a trellis alone or in combination with white pumpkins. Imagine them growing among black nasturtiums.

The key to a successful garden is always to have a strong base of perennials so there is something that comes back year after year, and annuals that will set the scene for summer and then die when winter comes. Also consider the height of what you are growing and how much space they will need, whether they are evergreen, meaning they will have foliage in the winter, or whether they will look bare. You want taller items at the back or in the middle of the space to walk through, then gradually reduce the size closer to the aisle so you can see everything. You also don’t have to focus solely on black, but you can use mahogany and deep purple tones to enhance the black. Either way, make sure you place your gothic garden where it will be well lit so you can see the curves and shapes and see all the dark color detail.

Black perennial flowers

From the earliest tulips and irises to late-blooming dahlias, you can fill spring and summer with dark blooms. Spanning a height of four feet all the way up to the ground cover sedums, you can create an entire wall of interest where shades of black are combined with green stems and leaves. Of particular note are the Black Magic Elephant Ears – they are large black leaves that anchor the space and have me dreaming of a pond garden filled with endless amounts of black irises. Remember that perennials will come back soon, so they are worth the small investment. Here are some of my favorite options:

Black annual flowers

Annual flowers have the advantage of producing impressive blooms for a short period of time. By filling the entire trellis with Black Knight Sweet Peas, you’ll create a wall of sweet-smelling, delicate black flowers. There’s a certain dark humor in knowing that snapdragons look like little skulls when they die, and taking pictures of the Black Dragon will pack an extra painful punch. Let black sunflowers grow upward towards the sun for a beautiful feature that will attract attention.

Black fruits

Don’t forget to add fruit to your gothic garden. Obviously, most eggplants fit the bill, but eggplants with large slices, such as Goudi, stand out. You can grow endless amounts of black pepper, and even blackberries and boysenberries are dark and delicious. However, this year I’m most looking forward to the black pumpkins, like the Black Bear, which are growing on an arch next to the white pumpkins so you can walk under them.

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