Chloe Hurst grows a variety of vibrant plants in her garden in Carleton Place, Ontario, and has more than 230,000 followers on her Instagram account. (Chloe Hurst)
Filled with black leaves, deep green hues, and the occasional white royal wedding poppy, Goss Garden in Carleton Place, Ontario, is attracting quite a bit of attention with its unique backyard collection.
Owner Chloe Hurst remembers being fascinated with gardening and the darker elements of Goth culture growing up.
“When I was a kid, really young, my mom threw me in the mud, and I was also a weird kid then. I always wanted to wear black over pink,” she told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning on Tuesday.
Amidst an abundance of dark plants and flowers, flowers like the Royal Wedding Poppy stand out a little. Chloe Hurst says the dark elements of the flowers fit the aesthetic. (Chloe Hurst)
A passion for all things darker prompted Hirst to start cultivating his own gothic style after purchasing his home in 2018.
Her backyard is filled with a variety of plants in unconventional colors and shades, the most intense of which is Raven ZZ.
Hurst said the undersides of the leaves are green, but it's hard to tell unless you look closely underneath the shiny black tops of the plant.
The carefully tended garden has generated a lot of interest on social media, with Hart having more than 230,000 followers on Instagram, @theg0thgarden.
The Goth garden idea has been getting attention recently in the New York Times, NPR and HGTV.
But some neighbours have expressed their displeasure by sending her hateful messages – a reaction to the unconventional arrangement of plants is nothing new, Hurst said.
She added that during her years of being into goth stuff, she's come across some common misconceptions.
“A lot of people think that because we wear dark clothes, we're dark, sad or depressed. But the truth is, we're all just cheerful people, on the outside and inside.”
Chloe Hurst holds two black hero tulips that she grew in her garden. (Chloe Hurst)
“We're just kind people,” Hurst added.
Hurst said the majority of responses she's received have been positive, with some people even sending her photos of their own dark gardens.
The garden currently has 50 plants, which Hurst says is a challenge in itself – black flowers are hard to find, so he spends every weekend scouting nurseries.
5:34am in Ottawa, Goth Garden
The all-black floral trend is taking the gardening world by storm, and Carleton Place gardeners have been gardening in gothic style since 2018.
