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Spooktacular Halloween plants

From ghostly sea holly bracts to brain-like cacti, there are lots of plants that fit the spooky theme of Halloween. There’s something fun to grow in every house and garden – here are seven plants to bring a touch of the macabre to your autumn displays

White baneberry

Sometimes also called 'doll's eyes', Actaea pachypoda has white fluffy flowers followed by strange-looking berries
“Eye of newt, and toe of frog,” are just some of Shakespeare’s three witches’ cauldron ingredients. And if they’d had a garden, surely ​Actaea pachypoda would be in it. One of the common names is doll’s eyes. It politely hints at the white fruits that look like eyes popping out on red stalks. The more widely-used common name of white baneberry relates to the toxic fruit. If that puts you off this interesting perennial, fluffy white flowers and fine foliage are the plant’s gorgeous redeeming features. 

Witch hazel

Fiery autumn colours and winter blooms make witch hazels useful garden shrubs
Spidery winter flowers scent the air during the darkest days of winter
The true colours of witch hazel (Hamamelis × intemedia) only become apparent in autumn. Fiery and often unexpected, this shrub turns shades of yellow, red and orange. And this is just the start. In January and February, this shrub offers scented, spidery blooms in vibrant yellow, orange and red, making it a star performer in the winter garden. View these in all RHS Gardens.

Chinese lantern

Physalis or Chinese lantern plants produce distinctive papery seed cases
Looking like upturned pumpkins, the fresh papery fruit cases of Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii make a pleasing pop when squeezed and produce a satisfying death rattle when the stems are shaken. No wonder they attract children’s attention at this time of year. Ripe fruits are edible and have a tangy flavour – although be aware that the unripe fruit, cases and other parts of the plant are toxic if eaten, so it’s traditional fun that needs to be enjoyed responsibly.

Bat flower

This sinister plant makes quite a talking point
The bat flower (Tacca chantrieri) has to be one of the most unusual-looking houseplants. The dark flowers are winged and have a beard of hair-like structures hanging down in wisps. It’s ominous, beguiling and unique. While it’s not the easiest of houseplants to grow, kept moist but not soggy, warm but never in scorching sunshine, this plant will reward your devoted attention with spectacular blooms. 

Dead man's fingers

Sometimes also called the blue bean shrub, this Chinese plant bears very distinctive fruit
As well as Halloween skeletons, how about some dead man’s fingers? It’s another common name for this large shrub (Decaisnea fargesii) with bunches of knobby, elongated fruits, making it a startling sight in low autumn sunshine. The fruits hang from the branches of a plant that is part of the pea family – only these pods are blue and the seeds inside are surrounded by clear, sticky jelly and are not for eating. See this plant in RHS Gardens Wisley and Rosemoor.

A ghostly reminder

This plant is named for an Edwardian gardener whose presence lingered on long after her passing
Who doesn’t love a ghost story at Halloween? So imagine an elegant Edwardian lady, Ellen Willmott, in long flowing clothes and an overblown hat, gliding up and down the flower borders, casting aspersions as she went. Only the best gardens would meet her approval. If they weren’t up to scratch, she’d take matters into her own hands – although her interferences were not immediately apparent.

Unseen, she would scatter hundreds of sea holly (Eryngium giganteum) seeds. This is a biennial plant, germinating in the first year, flowering the second. As a result, her hosts only realised her true disapproval when the sea hollies flowered in later years. Perhaps due to the shock or the indignation, this sea holly became widely known as ‘Miss Willmott’s Ghost’. It’s a common name that’s used to this day, even though Ellen’s celebrated Essex garden and books have now receded into the horticultural shadows. This ghost lives on in many gardens, not least in the Oudolf Borders at RHS Garden Wisley.

A brainy cactus

With its strange folded heaps of prickly stems, this Mammillaria has a cranial quality
Otherwise known as the brain cactus, Mammillaria elongata f. cristata is a peculiar looking plant for a sunny windowsill. It is easy to grow (use specialist cactus compost) and it will often flower during the warmer months. Water occasionally during summer but leave to dry out between September and March.

About the author - Leigh Hunt

RHS Principal Horticultural Advisor, Leigh loves helping with strange and unusual enquires that test more than 30 years of knowledge.

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