7/27/2019 Spooky Plants

1/8

FREAKYREAKYREAKYFLORALORALORAA lily that looks like a bat. Plants that eat fliesor fingers!for dinner.

Who needs Halloween decorations when nature provides such bizarre and beautiful

creations? Weve assembled a collection of the spookiest flowers and

plants from growers around the West. Display them to add a little haunt

to your house this season ... if you dare.

B Y J O H A N N A S I L V E R | P H O T O G R A P H S B Y A Y A B R A C K E T T

7/27/2019 Spooky Plants

2/8

come hith

Native to nutrpoor soils, mon

cups (NepentMiranda) ha

dangling poucthat capture a

dissolve insectfood. We call

roach motebecause inse

check in, but thnever checkiout, says Ma

Pendleton, manof Brookside

chids. Pair the with Spanish m

a cobwebby mmade up of tanairplants (Tillan

usneoides)

to grow

Try monkey cas houseplants;

need bright liand daily mist

dark and stormy

A handful of tall HotChocolate callas makes

for a moody bouquet.

Tuck in nearly black aeo-nium rosettes andColocasia Puckered Up,

a new elephant ear,to add more dark texture.

to grow

After frost has passed, growcallas from rhizomes.

Aeoniums need protectionfrom frost. Elephant

ears can grow outdoors inmild climates, and as

houseplants in all regions.

S U N S E T O C T O B E R 2 0 1

PROPSTYLING:BIRTEWALTER

7/27/2019 Spooky Plants

3/8

burning beauty

Create a surrealscene with the

flamelike stems ofSticks on Fire

euphorbia and acontainer of carnivo-

rous plants. Here,Cobra plants(Dar-

lingtonia californica)arch over smaller

Venus flytraps andpitcher plants.

Finish off the displaywith Swiss cheese

vine (Monsteraobliqua), planted

in a low bowlso its leaves creepout onto the table.

to growAll of these plants

can grow outside inmild climates or as

houseplants in bright

light. But beware:Cobra plants are fin-icky and need cool

temperatures.

58 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3 S U N S E T

7/27/2019 Spooky Plants

4/8

I JUST FIND THESE SO

BEAUTIFULIN A TOTALLY

DEADLY WAY.rob co, carnivorous-plant collector

feed me, seymour

Place a pot of Venus flytraps (Dionaeamuscipula) on the table and your

guests wont be the only ones enjoyingdinner. When the plants trigger

hairs inside are touched, its eleganteyelashes turn into teeth that snap

shuteven emitting a slight electricalcurrent as they close.

to grow

Venus flytraps can grow outside infrost-free climates, or as houseplants

in bright light.

7/27/2019 Spooky Plants

5/8

frankenstein

Crested euphorbias(back) are like

something out of amonster movie.

Grafted onto stems ofanother type of

euphorbia, their crestsgradually double

over as they grow.Other menacing crea-

tures: Dyckia, adark bromeliad (center),

black mondo grass,and split rocks (Pleiospi-

los nelii RoyalFlush), camouflagedas unassuming

stones in black sand.

to grow

All four plants needmild temperatures and

minimal water. They arehappiest outside

in arid, frost-free areas,but the succulents

will thrive indoors too.

THE LIVING ROCKS KEEP

SPLITTING OPEN, AND NEW

LEAVES APPEAR. ITS LIKE

WATCHING CELLS DIVIDE.zann cannon goff, flora grubb gardens

60 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3 S U N S E T

7/27/2019 Spooky Plants

6/8

the bat cav

Line up a series black bat lilies (T

chantrieri) on a mawith their wingl

webbed bracts, tlook ready to ta

flight. Their whiskare a mystery

some speculate tprovide a pathw

for ants to crawup for pollination

as Mark Pendletsays: Theyre just

of those thingthat makes peop

go Wow.

to grow

Bat lilies need mtemperatures a

shade. Indoors, kin filtered ligh

and dont let thsoil dry out.

7/27/2019 Spooky Plants

7/8

LOOK INSIDEA PITCHER

PLANTAND YOULL

SEE DOWN-WARD HAIRS

THATPREVENTANYONE

FROMCRAWLINGBACK OUT.

rob co

witches brew

The elegant longthroats on these

pitcher plants(Sarracenia) havea deadly purpose:to swallow bugs

after luring them inwith a liquid in the

top flaps. Bugs getso drunk off the

nectar that you canjust watch them fall

right in, says Rob Co,a Northern California

carnivorous-plantcollector.

to growPitcher plants can

grow outside, exceptin the coldest cli-

mates. Indoors, givethem bright light.

sticky surprise

Place sundews on apatio and youll never

see a gnat again.The fuzzy stems of

these sundews(Drosera tracyi and

D. binata) are coatedin drops of dew,which are actuallydigestive enzymes

that attractand dissolve prey.

to grow

Sundews need brightlight, moist soil,

some humidity, andtemperatures of

at least 40.

7/27/2019 Spooky Plants

8/8

HUNT THEMDOWN

Your local nurseryor florist can order

most of these plantsand cut flowers.Here are a few

resources to helpyou find the rest.

brookside

orchidsThis Menlo Park,

CA, nurserysells retail and does

mail order; its agood source for bat

lilies, Spanish moss,and monkey cups.

brookside-orchids.com.

pacific

callas

Go here to orderpitch-black

callasor any othercoloras bulbsor cut flowers.

pacificcallas.com.

the pitcher

plant projectPacifica, CAbased

hobbyist Rob Cooffers the occasional

opportunity tobuy plants on hiswebsite, thepitcherplantproject.com.(Also try california

carnivores.com.)

succulent

gardensSells a variety of

succulents, euphor-bia, and livingstones. Visit theretail nursery in

Castroville, CA, orask your local nurs-ery to order whole-

sale.sgplants.com.

S U N S E T O C T O B E R 2 0 1