...Poe, Unhappy Hour, Gothic Gardening, and Good Luck...

            

 The following is an adapted version of the talk on Gothic Gardening that I shared at the Poe Museum’s July Unhappy Hour. I was asked to make the content available. The way the event is structured, I actually spoke twice; and, I must admit that the second group received a much different version than the first. You see, as I was standing under a large tree in the Poe Museum’s Enchanted Garden prepared to give my talk, a bird, I think it was a cardinal and it was certainly not a raven pooped on me right as I was handed the microphone. At the time, I held my arm that was covered in bird poop very still. The six-minute lecture was not going to go as planned; I knew for I could tell that the matter was also smeared down my new black, lace dress. I had no idea that it was also in my hair. Thanks, little birdy! Alas, the presentation continued but perhaps a little quicker than I would have liked. After my talk, several shared that being pooped on is actually good luck. 

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In the subheader, you’ll see that I use gardening as a metaphor for living. I share stories about how plants & flowers, creepy things, and the dead including cemeteries have brought me back to life. My blog posts actually rhyme with this month’s Unhappy Hour (at the Poe Museum) focus on how Poe's natural surroundings inspired his work.

Growing up, Poe would have been familiar with the Romantic era landscape designs that sought to express the inherent beauty of nature in opposition to the strictly symmetrical, formal gardens favored by those of the past. These gardens were beautiful landscapes that included antique statues, urns or pedestals to lend interest. These gardens would have included blooms that by some would have been considered imperfect. Even the dead vines of ivy covering the side of a building would not necessarily have been removed. The look of ruins was a highly sought-after aesthetic that would add a bit of enchantment to a place. We’re not exactly talking about the Addam’s Family snipping off the blooms of roses but that the roses would naturally bloom and die, and be left on the plant until they fell off. 

One googly eye was found outside the Old Stone House and was added to this pot

As we move into the Victorian period, black flowers were highly sought after by many gardeners as black blooms and black foliage can include a dramatic addition to any garden. In Victorian black gardens, these dark plants- black, deep reds, and purples-- were the focal point in landscape design. Placement was key for dark plants and foliage since darker flowers and plants can end up blending into the landscape if planted in shady, darker locations, especially if you use black mulch like I do.  Lighter backgrounds, less busy designs, and even stone urns and vases are key to make these black plants pop. 

Snapdragons look like skulls when they dry. Just turn them upside down

Much of Poe’s work was considered gothic and I was invited to the Poe Museum to talk about Gothic Gardens. I do not believe there is any one way to have a Gothic Garden. If there were, I would encourage you to break the rules immediately.  Gothic Gardens can evoke images of old abandoned cemeteries with gravestones and roses and they can also evoke images of a more manicured garden with rare and unique blooms. They are certainly not a ‘one size fits all’. I believe that today’s gardens take a bit from Romantic era landscaping and Victorian black gardens. Each garden is very much about the gardener’s tastes and preferences.

Grandpa Ott

Arguably, there are a few features of a gothic garden. First, a gothic garden design follows the gothic architectural style—think slender vertical pillars, pointed arches, stonework, wrought-iron fixtures, and trellises. There may be ivy climbing up a trellis with a statue of an angel nearby. For example, in my garden, I have a gothic trellis with morning glories including Grandpa Ott, which is a dark blue-purple bloom with a red star throat. My mother-in-law says the center looks like a glowing candle.

Spider topiary

Second, when we think Gothic, we also think mystery and spooky, descriptions that resonate with Poe and his writing. A gothic garden should have some sort of element of surprise. A statue would not be isolated or featured, but in the Gothic setting a statue would nearly be covered and hidden by climbers such as that ivy that I mentioned or even climbing roses. Also, it would be better if that statue were missing an arm or a head to show age. In my garden, I have a spider-shaped topiary perched on a trellis.
Finally, a Gothic Garden should include those rich colors of the medieval period. Deep wine reds, dark purples and blues, and even black against dark green foliage or decayed vines. I brought a display of some easy-to-grow houseplants to the Unhappy Hour.  

While dark plants can be easy to grow, some thrive in full sun while others need shade; you’ll want to consider your plant hardiness zone. Depending on what part of the Greater Richmond area you live in, we’re considered zone 7a/ 7b.

Nearly black petunia

When designing your own Gothic garden, keep in mind what creates a great gothic garden. It’s all in the spooky, mysterious details. And, it’s very much what speaks to you. Some goth gardeners focus on ancient herbs and plants that come with legends and lore. Others focus on apothecary gardens. And even others focus on plants that are deadly.

In my own garden, I focus a great deal on names. I like the dark colors but it’s all in the names:

·        Superstition Iris- this is a rich dark beauty with luscious deep purple-black flowers that is among the darkest. It almost resembles leather right before the bud opens.

·        Dianthus Heart Attacks – these are a brilliant red-black, carnation-like flower that attracts hummingbirds

·        Bela Lugosi Daylily- deep, deep purple flowers that are almost black with a green throat

·        Nosferatu Daylily- Similar to the ‘Bela Lugosi’, this variety has a shorter height, and more prominent veining in the pie crust ruffled petals. It has a chartreuse throat.

·        Tiny Ghost Lily

·        Pagan Dance Iris

·        Bleeding Hearts

Purple Ruffles Basil

I invited participants to come over to see some of the houseplants that I’ve brought, to review the slides featuring some of my own garden blooms, and even if they didn’t feel that they had the greenest of thumbs, they could go home with their very own gothic paper flower. No water or fertilizer needed.  I shared a basic fan-fold paper flower design.

...nature and chairs...

One year ago, I started my garden at our new house. The perennial hibiscus plants started producing blooms this week. Those blooms and the Daylily blooms have kept my heart swooning. I have Bela Lugosi, Nosferatu, Whoopy, Little Grapette, and Custard Candy Daylilies blooming right now. The butterfly bushes and butterfly mint are in full bloom. The bees are in heaven.

The place is starting to feel like home. There is the excitement of seeing the transplanted plants flourish, and there is also joy is deciding what I will plant next.

I spend a great deal of time on our back porch because it’s screened-in and I can see my backyard garden and my side garden. My fella really wanted rocking chairs for our front porch. I think that was one of the spaces that was mostly forgotten. I have decorated it with flower baskets and plants framing our front door, and I’ve added seasonal decor but there really was not place to sit and just be. 

Yesterday, I found rocking chairs that I loved so I brought them home (in two trips since my car isn’t very big but at least the store was close by). I bought a shiny white rocking chair for my fella and a shiny black one for me. I’ve always enjoyed seeing people sit on their front porches when I’m walking. Sometimes when I walk by the super fancy houses with gorgeous wrap-around porches, I wonder why they’re not being used more. After adding the rocking chairs, I moved some of my herbs to the other side of the front porch just so the space feels more like a place. It’s actually quite convenient since I use the herbs and this makes it easier for me when I’m cooking to simply snip what I need without going out into the garden.

I have been reading a great deal about haunted houses, haunted places, and ghosts. I’m developing a course on ghosts and haunted history; and, I’m simply interested in the topic. When I placed the rocking chairs into their new spots yesterday, I remember the old house with the tin roof that I used to walk by. It was my dream home, a place I thought could be saved. Instead, one day the home was torn down and replaced with a new McMansion-style monstrosity. The day it was torn down, I wept partly because it was a surprise that it was happening and partly because a chair was left near the debris. It struck me as the saddest view. A seat to face what had been done.

We have been putting in a great deal of time and money into our new home. For over a decade, this house was used as rental property. As we excavate, we find treasures. This place was once very loved. And then, for some reason, it was let go. Ivy consumed the back of the property. I wonder if it would have made its way into a state like the abandoned house that was torn down.  We’re just going to keep loving this home. As we sit on our rocking chairs, we will look out at nature that surrounds us and I will dream of more garden projects.

...the garden heals me...

Midnight Mystery Asiatic Lilies

I haven’t been feeling well the last few days. My body feels rundown and somewhat achy. My ears feel full. I check my weather app to see if the allergens are high in the area; they aren’t. Do I have the flu? Have I gotten Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever? Did a pesky mosquito give me some virus? Last night I fell asleep watching a show with my fella. I slept for 9 hours. I woke up only to still not feel better. 

Midnight Mystery Asiatic Lilies

This morning was the Richmond Daylily Society Show and Sale at the local botanical gardens. I headed there, purchased some lily bulbs, headed home and proceeded to plant ten daylilies and some iris bulbs a friend gave me. The best medicine for me is always the magic of plants and gardening. Now I’m the right kind of exhausted. And, I’m reflecting on why I’ve been so down lately. This entire week I have been quite melancholy even with friends visiting and good weather. Nearly a month ago, I took my mother on a trip to Savannah. My fella says that [as a bit of an empath] I’m still recuperating.

‘Nosferatu’ Daylily

My mother says that I don’t trust anyone. As I was planting my bulbs from the daylily show, I had to trust that the labels were correct. My mother says that I don’t have any patience. I am so patient that I frequently wait an entire year for plants to bloom. This year, my Superstition Iris didn’t bloom. I most likely planted it too deep and fixed that by replanting it. I’m slightly disappointed but not enough for me to not be excited about its future potential. It really is that gorgeous.  

Pagan Dance Iris

I’m not being dramatic when I write that it will be our last mother and daughter trip. My mother is nearing her 80s and her physical health is not great. She has limited mobility, arguably by choice. Aside from her physical health, her mental and emotional health have never been good. 

And, after 45 years of trying to be whatever she wants or hopes me to be as her daughter, and over a decade of therapy, I’ve learned that I will always have a biological need to want my mother to like me; and, I am not the labels she has applied to me. I will struggle with accepting this the rest of my life but I certainly do not have to put myself in a position to deal with her on a daily basis.

 

Columbine

I joke that I have mommy issues but when I put my hands in the soil, I think of Mother Nature, the personification of nature that gives life and nurtures in a way that I believe a real mother should. Humans are complicated. Plants continue to save my life every single day.