...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.

... mad and MAD!!! & other Unhappy Hour Poe-woes...

“Men have called me mad;

but the question is not yet settled,

whether madness is or is not

the loftiest intelligence…”

~E. A. Poe

Yep, that is where MY spin landed.

I’m just getting home from The Poe Museum’s July Unhappy Hour. I’ve written about these events before including June’s “the truth behind the Unhappy hour” and May’s “an unhappy hour leads to a Death purse—literally”. They’re always a little different. 

Tonight’s theme was connected with mental illness to coincide with the new exhibit: Madness & Insanity in the work of Edgar Allan Poe. The piece that was the advertised focus was “The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether”; for each Unhappy Hour, I do my homework. This afternoon I read the piece in preparation for any theatrical events or exhibits. I haven’t read this piece in years and had forgotten how creepy some parts are, especially the part about the character thinking that he is a piece of cheese and walking around asking others *with a knife in hand* if they would care for a slice.

Tonight’s crowd was completely different from the May and June events and I think this has a bit to do with the featured bands. 

Tonight’s music was by Fool’s Errand. On their site, they describe themselves as “a Folk group from Richmond Va that blends elements of Gypsy, Americana and World Music.” I thought they sounded a bit like The Afghan Whigs but what do I know. Richmond has become a hipster town and the band drew a hipster crowd. No hate toward the hipsters though because they, too, help tip the balance in keeping Richmond further from the old South and closer to the progressive one. And the band did draw in a good amount of folks which is kind of where this post is leading so stick with me.

Unhappy Hour was almost feeling like a bust as I sat sipping my wine and contemplating heading out to get some dinner. But first, I wanted to see the exhibit. I headed in and was greeted by Kelly who simply announced that she was “the historian”. She was completely alone in the exhibit room and seemingly had been for a while so I struck up a conversation. After the two of us practically nerded out on what we love about Poe during a conversation which morphed into Poe’s sister Rosalie and graveyards in general, I was so grateful that I had had the chance to chat with her. She just felt like one of those kindred spirits and if I hadn’t felt so creepy I would have asked for her Facebook username or something. So even when the overall crowd seems different, you still can find your people. Kelly even comes up from North Carolina! How's that for extreme commuting for something you love. 

There's a cat in the garden!

Overall, it really was a successful event and the museum’s executive director, Jaime Fawcett has transformed the place into a modern, “happening” destination.

After the exhibit, I strolled down the street to eat and continue reading J. W. Ocker’s Poe-Land: The Hallowed Haunts of Edgar Allan Poe (October 6, 2014). I’m currently reading chapter five which is focused on Maryland and how the Poe House in Baltimore, Maryland faced being closed back in 2010 and then finally closed its doors in 2013. I remember this being in the news and how upset everyone was. Unlike the Richmond Poe Museum, Poe actually lived in the Poe House in Baltimore. Thankfully the Poe House reopened for weekends last year and seems to remain open on weekends now. 

While I was reading Ocker’s book I was becoming steadily irritated that folks seemingly only miss things when they’re gone or close to being gone. I think of Field of Dreams’ line, “If you build it, he will come.” I guess I kind of feel that way about weird events. I try to frequent every possible Unhappy Hour (and every possible spooky exhibit in the region for that matter) even if I’m looking at the same artifacts in the museum (which this season, I am not thanks to their new exhibits!) I understand there are numerous factors for why the Richmond museum works and the Baltimore one struggles—different location, different surroundings, different people, etc. etc. But if we want places like this to stay open, shouldn’t we frequent them? Shouldn’t we support local? That being said, I appreciate the efforts of keeping the Richmond Poe Museum’s Unhappy Hours diverse. It takes all kinds of people, not just us spooky girls, to keep these museums going. I look forward to showing up to a future Unhappy Hour and discovering a Poe- Griswold Rap Battle! If it happens, remember you read it here first! ;D

Steps down off of her Poe soapbox. 

The cats are Edgar and Pluto by the way. They live at the museum.