Growing a Dark Garden

Do you like to garden but aren't quite into the idea of a bright, happy garden? Are you more the type who would prefer to cultivate something darker? Something a bit spooky?

If you are the type of gardener who would be much happier with a Gothic garden, something that's growing but on the darker side, then this Hub is for you! Whether you think of it as Victorian, Gothic, creepy, witchy or just a dark garden, it's easy to bring a touch of a macabre to the backyard.

You can make this sort of theme work for a container garden, a section of your backyard, or your entire outdoor garden if you wish.  Start working in bits and pieces and it's easy to keep your costs down.  Making the most of plants you already have is also important. 

Seasonability - Part of why you want to change things over gradually as you design a garden is so that you can work in choices to give yourself year-round blooms and color.  It's worth the time to research plants and flowers that bloom at different times of the year so that your garden doesn't have a large fallow season where it looks dead.

Annual vs Perennial - Some plants will bloom year after year, and others need to be cultivated and planted afresh.  If you want to minimize the amount of garden work you need to do, it helps to put in plants that are perennial for your climate.  Many people like to have perennials in large areas or garden beds, and then change annuals in smaller border areas or containers.

Plant Safety (ie growing potentially toxic plants) - When growing a garden with a darker or gothic theme, it's not uncommon to come across plant choices that can be potentially toxic or poisonous for humans or animals.  Foxglove, monkshood (aconite), nightshade (belladonna) are just some beautiful plants known for their medicinal but toxic properties.   If you have such concerns due to having kids or pets at home, you might consider fencing off your dark garden, putting such plants in areas that are less accessible (the back or center of flower beds) or even skipping such choices.

Working with a darker color theme can bring a wonderful gothic look to your garden. Consider these colors not only for flowers but foliage and grasses for the garden.

• Deep reds - instead of orangey-red colors, try for darker and deeper reds, what are often called blue-reds. Dark red, burgundy and maroon are the tones to work with, although there is something to be said for the occasional touch of blood red... You can also put in plants that have dark red foliage instead of green
  
• Blue - Royal to navy blues are the jewel-tone shades of blue you want to cultivate.
• Purple - Skip anything but the tiniest bit of lavender and go for deep magenta, royal purple and those purples that are so dark they appear black.
• Black - the prized color of any dark garden. Many "black" flowers are really a dark blue or purple, but there really is a wide variety available. Also consider things like near-black flax and other ornamentals with a very dark appearance.