It’s spooky season! Have you started your decorating for Halloween yet? How about leveling up your seasonal decor with some strange houseplants? The plants in this list have freaky foliage that builds on Halloween’s ambiance, making the spook factor even more natural. Like, maybe your home is always this spooky, it’s not just for Halloween? Having these houseplants around all year can keep a bit of that fun Halloween vibe going, even when everyone else has put Halloween away for another year.
Who can forget Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors? It’s a bit silly, but worth a watch if you haven’t seen it. Technically, Audrey II was a hybrid, but most people recognize her as a Venus flytrap, one of few carnivorous plants. Venus flytraps are fun houseplants to grow as they have a unique look with their broad trap leaves featuring small bristles that resemble sharp teeth. They are one of the few plants that move very fast. When the tiny interior bristles are bumped multiple times, they’ll snap shut to capture their prey, whatever insect that might be.
Venus flytraps can be a bit tricky to care for. They need to be warm and have bright light, but they don’t love too much direct sun. They prefer a mossy growing medium that drains well, but they also need a fair bit of humidity.
Unfortunately, venus flytraps may not be very useful for catching all those annoying houseflies, since they sometimes go months between meals.
Pitcher plants are also a type of carnivorous plant. They feature specialized leaves that form long, often beautiful, tubes. There are many different types of pitcher plants out there in a variety of sizes. Usually, the tubes are beautiful colors, and many have pretty patterns on them as well.
Pitcher plants do best with as much bright sun as you can give them. A large sunny south-facing window is best, and they do require winter dormancy. They need deionized or distilled water and no fertilizer. Many varieties grow in swampy areas, so most will do best in a peat-moss growing medium, with a pot sitting in about an inch of water.
Outdoor carnivorous plants will generally keep themselves well-fed, but indoors you may need to supplement them with food like dried crickets from the pet store.
These exotic looking plants are becoming more and more popular. They feature large arrowhead-shaped leaves, with white or light green veins that contrast sharply with the dark green leaf color. The leaves are glossy and fleshy and can add a slightly sinister feel when paired with Halloween home decor.
African Mask is a bit tricky to care for. They like filtered bright light, so no direct sun, but close to a window. They need rich and consistently moist, but not saturated, soil. The African Mask needs temperatures 65º and above-average humidity and will enjoy a pebble tray or a humidifier.
ZZ Raven is the perfect little goth plant to match your all-black wardrobe, black eyeliner, and goth home decor. Its nearly black leaves are perfect for Halloween!
The best part about ZZ Raven is that it’s getting much easier to find these days, and it is super easy to care for. It’s a classic introverted, hermit-like goth. You can water it once a week or once a month, and it will regard you with cold indifference. ZZ plants can also tolerate surprisingly low light. They can even survive in wholly artificial light, so it’s perfect for no-window offices or basement apartments, as long as you can have a nearby lamp shining on it for 12-15 hours per day.
Black Prince Echeveria is a striking succulent. It features large impressive rosettes with green centers and dark red to nearly black spiky–succulent leaves. Like other succulents, echeveria prefers a sunny location, sandy, well-drained soil, and only occasional watering.
Nerve plants are another easy-care plant that can play up the spook factor in home decor. They’re a low growing plant with dark green leaves that feature highly contrasting veins of bright white or blood red.
Nerve plants are pretty easy to care for and can thrive in surprisingly low light. They can be a bit dramatic. When they need water, they’ll wilt entirely as if the whole plant has suddenly died, and then perk up within hours of watering. It’s best to water them before they get to the point of collapsing in a temper tantrum, though.
Crested cacti are strange and slightly creepy looking plants. Cresting happens when there is a genetic defect in the plant. They usually look a little bit like brains, or chubby hobbit fingers, or just indescribably weird. They require the same care as other cactuses, a fast-draining growing medium that’s gravelly or sandy, infrequent watering, and lots of heat and sunshine.
Also known as Lithops, Living stones are another decidedly odd plant. There are many varieties out there, but they all tend to resemble rocks. They’re pretty cute, but they’re also pretty weird, so adding them to your Halloween decor for the unknown factor is a no-brainer.
Living Stones are another succulent, so similar to cacti. They need gritty, sandy soil, very infrequent watering, and a very sunny and warm place to live. Only water when the soil in the pot is fully dry, and if you see them putting out new leaves, don’t water again until the old set of leaves has entirely dried up.
Bloody Mary Philodendron features large super dark red, almost black, heart-shaped leaves. They’re shiny and glossy and can add some authentic goth vibes to your Halloween decor. Philodendrons are notoriously resilient and easy to care for. They are pretty forgiving if you forget to water them for a while!
False Aralia lends itself well to Halloween decor with nearly black leaves that could almost resemble bony skeleton fingers. This beautiful plant is a unique addition with long thin palm-like leaves with serrations. The dark color is an exciting contrast against greener houseplants.
False Aralia likes bright but indirect light and well-draining soil. They do like consistent moisture but be careful not to overwater them. They grow relatively slowly, so you shouldn’t need to pot them up very often.
Sometimes called the Mini Monstera, this vining plant features split leaves, much like monstera deliciosa, but on a smaller scale. It will do best with something to climb up. The uniquely shaped leaves lend themselves well to Halloween decor.
R. tetrapserma needs lots of bright light and can even handle a bit of direct sunlight. Near a large south-facing window would be perfect. It does like consistently moist soil, but it is prone to root rot if the soil is too wet.
If you’re getting started on your Halloween decor, why not stop by the garden center and see what spooky plants you could incorporate? Needing a new plant because it’s perfect for Halloween decor is the ideal excuse to get yourself some new plant babies!
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