Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gardening
  3. Evergreens

Goth style isn’t just a fashion trend – it’s taking over 2024 gardens, too

Let this new trend influence your gardening

By
Add as a preferred source on Google
Flowers on a dark night
Valentina Locatelli / Unsplash

Not everyone is sold by the colorful, airy vibes of cottagecore. Should you be someone who shies away from bright flowers and cutesy garden decor, goth gardening is a 2024 trend that might be more up your alley. Gothic and dark academia aesthetics dominated fashion this past autumn and winter, and they’re now finding their way into warm-weather gardens, too. If you’re less into whimsy and more into the macabre, here’s how to set up a goth garden for those haunting Daphne du Maurier and Guillermo del Toro vibes.

What does a goth garden look like?

Metal furniture set on a stone patio
md shaparan / Shutterstock

Goth gardens take inspiration from the chilling, mysterious gardens of Gothic literature. While you might associate literary estates like Manderley and Thornfield Hall with death and dreariness, we promise that goth gardens are very much filled with life. The idea is to channel that creepy atmosphere while still maintaining a tidy and productive landscape.

Recommended Videos

When it comes to plants, you can’t go wrong with striking, dark-hued plants for the goth garden trend — think flowers and foliage in black, burgundy, and purple. If you commit to a goth garden in the spring, you’ll be well on your way to being the coolest trick-or-treat spot when Halloween comes around.

To commit to the Gothic vibes, you should also consider your decor. In place of colorful mushroom pieces, frog pot climbers, and butterfly wind chimes, consider ornate cement planters, fountains, and benches. You can also play around with stone paths and other types of hardscaping. Besides cement and stone textures, look into wrought-iron furniture, arches, and gates for a haunted mansion atmosphere.

The best plants and flowers for a goth-inspired garden

Aeonium succulents
Mitchell Luo / Pexels

To capture a goth aesthetic, look into buying dark flowers and foliage. While we encourage you to incorporate the occasional pop of color for a bit of fun contrast, you definitely want to focus on less cheerful hues. To help get you started, here are a few striking Gothic flowers and foliage to consider for a goth-inspired garden.

  • Oxalis vulcanicola: Featuring the occasional bright yellow bloom, this perennial groundcover plant forms blankets of dark burgundy clovers.
  • Tradescantia pallida “Purpurea:” Also called the purple heart plant, this tradescantia plant features succulent, dark leaves that grow prolifically in full sun.
  • Aeonium arboreum zwartkop: Also called the black rose aeonium, this succulent thrives in drought-tolerant gardens.
  • Pansy “Black Beauty:” This variety of pansies features hardy black blooms with bright yellow centers.
  • Tulip “Queen of the Night:” This deep red bloom will give you those moody Crimson Peak vibes, typically lasting a long time before fading.
  • Heuchera “Black Pearl:” Featuring jet-black leaves, this variety of coral bells looks striking in a concrete planter, although it’s perfect for your garden edging, too.

Give your garden extra personality with a striking Gothic style. If you’re partial to deliberately worn (but elevated) decor and dark plants, you’ll want to try the goth garden trend.

Topics

Editors’ Recommendations

How often should you water your grass seeds for the best results?
Tips for watering grass seed to get the lawn of your dreams
Grass with dew on it

A beautiful, lush green lawn is something that many homeowners strive for, but sometimes cultivating that lawn can be quite the headache. Getting your seeds to germinate and grow into thick, healthy grass requires balancing all of its needs. For such a simple plant, grass sure does need a lot of attention! Watering, mowing, dethatching, aerating, and reseeding your lawn can take a while to figure out, but it's easier with the help of a guide.

Read more
Pruning basics: What it is and how to do it right
How to prune your trees and shrubs
Person pruning a tree

What you need to do to keep a tree or shrub healthy can depend a lot on the type of tree or shrub, but something that is almost always the same is pruning. While there are a few small variations from plant to plant, the basics of pruning are mostly the same no matter what you’re growing. If you’re a beginner, you might have a few questions. What is pruning? How often should you do it, and in what season? Don’t worry, we’ll answer these questions and more in this guide to the basics of pruning.
What is pruning?

Pruning is the process of removing certain branches from a plant. Cutting your plant might sound intimidating, but pruning is actually important for maintaining the health of your trees and shrubs. The primary branches that are removed are those that are dead, dying, damaged, diseased, or at risk of becoming damaged. Branches at high risk are usually those that are growing too close to another branch or a structure of some kind. If the branches rub against each other too much in the wind, the friction can damage the bark. This leaves them vulnerable to pests and fungal infections.

Read more
Vinca minor as ground cover: Here’s what you should know
Is Vinca minor right for your lawn? Here are the pros and cons
Purple periwinkle (Vinca minor) flowers

People are starting to look for alternatives to grass lawns, whether it's because they’re easier to maintain, better for the environment, or just more attractive. From Irish moss lawns to creeping thyme, there are plenty of interesting plants you can grow as a ground cover. One popular grass alternative is Vinca minor, also known as common periwinkle. It offers many benefits, but it isn't a perfect plant for everyone. How do you know if a Vinca minor lawn is right for you and your home? We'll walk you through all the pros and cons of growing Vinca minor as a groundcover so you can make the best choice for yourself.
Pros of Vinca minor as ground cover

Vinca minor provides several benefits as a ground cover. It’s low maintenance and tolerates drought, sun, and shade. This is also a low-growing plant, which means you don’t need to worry about mowing it to keep the height down. It also grows quickly and vigorously, spreading to fill your entire lawn. It will spread to fill in empty patches, helping repair damaged sections and letting you save on seeds.

Read more