Black roses, anemones, tulips, peonies, dahlias, chocolate cosmos: in each of these dark floral variations, we can sense a change of mood, romance—a certain spookiness. With that first bite in the air, the carpet of fallen leaves on our neighborhood walks, we know we’ve moved into Halloween season, a stretch of magic we always wish would stick around just a bit longer.
The Strange and The Beautiful
Things get a little weird around here—and we love it. This is a time when we’re the most playful with our arrangements. We lean into the creepy and the cheeky. It’s not skeletons or plastic spiders, even though we appreciate a good googly eye; for us, it’s expressed through color and unusual shape, the droopy, strange, and insect-like. Dark calla lilies can be a potion cup, and amaranth can look like blood. We’re fascinated by bat flower—with its blooms that resemble spiders—along with dried palms painted black. Burned protea pods need fires to pollinate; they require a kind of horror and destruction to be possible.
Sinister Storytelling
We think about the whispered folklore and legends around some of our most common and beloved flowers: the story of Queen Anne’s lace says that while crafting away, Queen Anne pricked herself with a needle and a single drop of blood fell from her finger onto the lace, leaving the dark purple spot; Lily of the Valley protect gardens from evil spirits, and fairies drink from its tiny cups; Belladonna is a deadly poison, and was believed to make up the “flying ointment” formula used by witches.
Little Shop of Horrors
People ask us about poisonous plants all the time, whether they’re interested in plant history and usage or they’re trying to protect pets from their toxic effects. There are carnivorous plants, too—Madagascar ocotillo with its massive spikes and murderous nature, deadly oleander, water hemlock, white snakeroot, and jimsonweed—to name just a few.
Eerie Arranging
If you’re looking for a pop of ghoulish greenery, we’re here for your Halloween parties and all of your creepy arrangement needs—we offer pickup or delivery on Friday or Saturday of Halloween weekend.