Spooky season has arrived. That means longer nights, glowing harvest moons and trick-or-treating. For many people, it also means decorating your home, inside and out. But if you’re tired of the usual suspects — pumpkins, skeletons, cobwebs, etc. — consider incorporating creepy houseplants. They’ll add an eerie, witchy drama to your home, and they make unique gifts for Halloween parties. Here are six favorites to create a haunting atmosphere.
Black raven ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia ‘Black Raven’)
If Edgar Allan Poe were alive today, he might be growing a black raven ZZ plant. With its dark leaflets resembling small wings taking flight, this tropical aroid looks like an ominous bird in a cobwebbed, Victorian parlor. It won’t drive you mad, but it does have a lurking presence, especially if lit from behind with a candle.
ZZ plants are native to east African forests, so they can survive long periods of low light and drought. But to maintain that ghoulishly deep black color, they need light.
“You’re going to need bright, indirect light,” says Bill Rotolante, president of the International Aroid Society. “I definitely wouldn’t give them full sun in the middle of the day in the summer, but they can definitely take a lot of full light.”
Water ZZ plants about once a month in the winter and every two to three weeks the rest of the year. Although the ZZ plant prefers some humidity, it adapts well to common home conditions. (Note: Leaves emerge as chartreuse and darken later.)
Venom Alocasia (Alocasia ‘Venom’)
Venom Alocasia looks like a villain out of a comic book, and that’s no coincidence. “Its name references the Marvel character,” Rotolante says. The plant’s juvenile leaves have veined, elongated shapes, recalling a menacing face like the villain’s. What’s more, that face narrows to a sharply pointed tip, like the alien’s sinuous tongue.
Venom Alocasia thrives in warm air and at least 60 percent humidity, though it can adapt to household ranges. Placing a humidifier nearby will help. Like the ZZ plant, Venom needs a well-draining soil. Add orchid bark or perlite to re-create the airy forest litter in which it natively grows. Place Venom near a window with strong north- or east-facing light but little to no winter drafts, and water about once a week. If the air is too dry, its delicate leaf tip will turn brown.
Starfish flower (Stapelia hirsuta)
Remember the demogorgons, those scary monsters with flowerlike heads from the show “Stranger Things”? The starfish flower might be their real-life inspiration. With stems that look like knuckly fingers emerging from the soil, this desert native looks creepy enough, but when it blooms, the horror show truly begins.
“In late summer, they flower and the flowers are very Gothic,” says Jane Perrone, host of the houseplant podcast “On the Ledge.” “They’re large, up to 14 centimeters in diameter and dark red. They are basically mimicking a dead animal. They’re covered in hairs called trichomes to give the appearance of the pelt of an animal, and they match that by smelling like a dead animal. It doesn’t get much more spooky than that.”
To grow the starfish flower, pot it in light soil and, if possible, add grit to the surface so water drains and doesn’t rot the plant’s base. Put it in your sunniest window or under a grow light, and water every 10 to 12 days. In the winter, it likes a cool, dry rest period, so storing it in a sunny enclosed porch that doesn’t drop below 50 degrees is ideal.
Coral cactus (Euphorbia lactea ‘Cristata’)
Coral cactus is not technically a cactus but more of an otherworldly wonder. This plant, like Frankenstein, is produced by grafting two euphorbias together, creating an oddly shaped, unsettling succulent. Its top looks like a smashed human brain. Or perhaps a “Mars Attacks” alien. Either way, the coral cactus will make your skin crawl.
Because coral cactus is a succulent, it needs to grow in a cactus soil mix and be watered infrequently. “I love putting things like these plants into a really nice terra-cotta pot,” Perrone says. “Not only does it look nicer than plastic, but also it helps the roots to breathe.” Coral cactus likes bright, indirect light. If cut or broken, it releases a sap that irritates the skin, so wear gloves when caring for it.
Red Kiss (Begonia rex ‘Red Kiss’)
Dracula might have cultivated the Red Kiss begonia. With its crinkled, heart-shaped leaves splattered with bloodred and midnight-black colors, it boasts a visually dangerous bite. And just like a vampire, it suffers if exposed to hot, direct sunlight.
This dense, compact cultivar can be tricky to grow. It requires at least 40 percent humidity, but heavy misting will damage its leaves. Setting the pot on a tray of pebbles with water is a better solution. The soil needs to drain well and be nutrient rich, so start with a lightweight potting mix and add a little compost. If the leaf edges crisp up, it means the air is too dry, and yellowing leaves can be a sign of too much water. If it gets leggy, the light exposure is too weak. Water about once a week during the growing season. (Note: Red kiss is toxic to pets.)
Rice cactus (Rhipsalis cereuscula)
The bony stems of the rice cactus resemble gaunt, skeleton arms with tiny hands that seem like they’ll grab you while you’re sleeping. Hairy, wirelike shoots can emerge and rise high virtually overnight, creating a sinister ambiance. And because the stems splay unpredictably in all directions, it makes for a fascinating, albeit bizarre, hanging basket.
Rice cactus is an epiphyte, meaning it grows on other plants and takes moisture from the air. In its native South American rainforest, it sprouts in accumulated jungle debris in the crooks of branches. With that in mind, place it in indirect or dappled light, water about once a week and pot in light soil. “You need to replicate that [jungle debris] by giving it a really free draining mix,” Perrone says. “You can buy epiphyte specialist soil mix, or you just get regular houseplant soil but add in a few handfuls of bark, pumice or perlite to improve the drainage.”
Overall, when choosing plants, be realistic about your time to care for them and think long term.
“Then you get a plant that will be with you for every Halloween rather than just one season,” Perrone says. “You get more bang for your buck, and it’s a more sustainable way of growing as well.”
Karen Hugg is an ornamental horticulturalist and the author of “Leaf Your Troubles Behind: How to Destress and Grow Happiness Through Plants.”
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