Chloe Hurst's gothic garden is planted with wicked witch coleus plants. Courtesy of Chloe Hurst via The Washington Post
Chloe Hurst says she's always been an “emo, dark kid,” so when she and her husband bought a small-town bungalow in 2018, she decided to “make it the gothic home of my dreams.”
She applied that aesthetic to her own garden.
“I didn't want a normal garden,” says Hurst, a 29-year-old graphic designer from Ontario, Canada. “I wanted it to be a little spooky, like walking through a cemetery. A friend of mine who runs a nursery had these beautiful black petunias, which were exactly what I wanted. I started collecting really beautiful black plants.”
Hirst is part of an emerging group of gardeners who are creating highly individual, carefully curated outdoor spaces.
“COVID has really taken up gardening and created a whole new generation of people who are really into the hobby,” says Margaret Shields, head of plant breeding at Ball Horticultural Company. “But they're not looking for their grandmother's garden. They're looking for something that reflects their personality. Younger generations are looking for something that reflects their identity, and I think that's why we're seeing a preference for darker colours.”
Chloe Hearst lives a goth lifestyle both indoors and outdoors, which is why she wears a goth dress when visiting her goth garden, which is filled with dark-hued plants, grasses, and flowers. Courtesy of Chloe Hearst via The Washington Post
For Hurst, that identity is that of a “goth gardener.” She launched her plant-focused Instagram page, @theg0thgarden, in 2023 and now has more than 225,000 followers. Her garden is also popular with her neighbors, at least most of them.
“All the neighbors who know me really love it, and most of the feedback I get is that people think it's cool,” Hurst says, “but I also have some very religious people in town who have left flyers on my door telling me to look for Jesus, and some who have said they're scared, but you can't really be scared of a plant.”
Victorian Revival
While goth gardening has coincided with a resurgence in “emo” and “goth” fashion and culture (see: Netflix's hit show Wednesday), it's by no means a new idea: According to British author and garden historian Caroline Holmes, goth gardening originated with the Victorians.
“When it comes to the Victorians, beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” she says, “and they expressed that beauty in their gardens in their own way.” Often, that meant creating outdoor spaces with a slightly melancholic feel, with winding paths, shady hideaways, and sometimes, apparently, tributes to the deceased.
“This is when people started to have more modest gardens, not necessarily large plots of land, but things like having pet cemeteries and little memorials in the garden,” Holmes says. The garden's atmosphere was further enhanced by the prevalent use of statues, especially those inspired by mythology. Hirst looked to the Victorians for inspiration here.
“I love statues,” she says. “This year I added a bunch of angel statues that look like they're crying. I also have some big urns and trellises. I also recently bought what looks like a giant birdcage. It's really quirky and I love it.”
Black flower breeding
Hellebores bloom in Chloe Hearst's Gothic Garden at night in New York City. Courtesy of Chloe Hearst via The Washington Post
Many modern goth gardeners incorporate shade-loving plants, mirrors and stained-glass decor into their outdoor spaces, but they have access to something the Victorians didn't have: breeding techniques that allow scientists to create all kinds of dark-colored flowers and foliage.
In 2011, Ball Horticulture began selling the first black petunias, Pinstripe, Black Velvet and Phantom, and today Goss gardeners can find countless varieties of black and other dark-colored plants and flowers.
Black mondo grass is one of Chloe Hurst's favorite plants in her Gothic garden. Courtesy of Chloe Hurst via The Washington Post
“Black Hero tulips are my favourite,” says Hurst, “they look like peonies but are a deep purple, almost black. There's also the slightly smaller Queen of the Night tulip, which is one of the first to bloom in my garden each spring.” Hurst also likes black mondo grass and Arabian night calla lilies for a moody feel.
Ball Horticulture recently introduced a black angelonia variety called Angel Flare and Tattoo Black Cherry Vinca, a deep pink flower that looks like it's been painted with deep purple ink.
Intense Arabian night-colored flowers peek out from between the green leaves. Courtesy of Chloe Hurst via The Washington Post
Growers looking for even deeper colors can look for sweet potato vines in varieties such as Black, Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Jet Black and Solar Power. There are also plenty of dark vegetable varieties available, including herbs and lettuces in deep red and purple, burgundy broccoli, and tomatoes and peppers in shades of brown and black.
Hurst says she's always on the lookout for the next shade plant to add to her garden. “It's an expensive hobby, but I can't imagine giving up,” she says. “I'm dying to get my hands on this new black hydrangea.” [the Eclipse bigleaf hydrangea] “Along with these beautiful dark leaves.”
