Spooky Plants

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  • 7/27/2019 Spooky Plants

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    FREAKYREAKYREAKYFLORALORALORAA lily that looks like a bat. Plants that eat fliesor fingers!for dinner.

    Who needs Halloween decorations when nature provides such bizarre and beautiful

    creations? Weve assembled a collection of the spookiest flowers and

    plants from growers around the West. Display them to add a little haunt

    to your house this season ... if you dare.

    B Y J O H A N N A S I L V E R | P H O T O G R A P H S B Y A Y A B R A C K E T T

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    come hith

    Native to nutrpoor soils, mon

    cups (NepentMiranda) ha

    dangling poucthat capture a

    dissolve insectfood. We call

    roach motebecause inse

    check in, but thnever checkiout, says Ma

    Pendleton, manof Brookside

    chids. Pair the with Spanish m

    a cobwebby mmade up of tanairplants (Tillan

    usneoides)

    to grow

    Try monkey cas houseplants;

    need bright liand daily mist

    dark and stormy

    A handful of tall HotChocolate callas makes

    for a moody bouquet.

    Tuck in nearly black aeo-nium rosettes andColocasia Puckered Up,

    a new elephant ear,to add more dark texture.

    to grow

    After frost has passed, growcallas from rhizomes.

    Aeoniums need protectionfrom frost. Elephant

    ears can grow outdoors inmild climates, and as

    houseplants in all regions.

    S U N S E T O C T O B E R 2 0 1

    PROPSTYLING:BIRTEWALTER

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    burning beauty

    Create a surrealscene with the

    flamelike stems ofSticks on Fire

    euphorbia and acontainer of carnivo-

    rous plants. Here,Cobra plants(Dar-

    lingtonia californica)arch over smaller

    Venus flytraps andpitcher plants.

    Finish off the displaywith Swiss cheese

    vine (Monsteraobliqua), planted

    in a low bowlso its leaves creepout onto the table.

    to growAll of these plants

    can grow outside inmild climates or as

    houseplants in bright

    light. But beware:Cobra plants are fin-icky and need cool

    temperatures.

    58 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3 S U N S E T

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    I JUST FIND THESE SO

    BEAUTIFULIN A TOTALLY

    DEADLY WAY.rob co, carnivorous-plant collector

    feed me, seymour

    Place a pot of Venus flytraps (Dionaeamuscipula) on the table and your

    guests wont be the only ones enjoyingdinner. When the plants trigger

    hairs inside are touched, its eleganteyelashes turn into teeth that snap

    shuteven emitting a slight electricalcurrent as they close.

    to grow

    Venus flytraps can grow outside infrost-free climates, or as houseplants

    in bright light.

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    frankenstein

    Crested euphorbias(back) are like

    something out of amonster movie.

    Grafted onto stems ofanother type of

    euphorbia, their crestsgradually double

    over as they grow.Other menacing crea-

    tures: Dyckia, adark bromeliad (center),

    black mondo grass,and split rocks (Pleiospi-

    los nelii RoyalFlush), camouflagedas unassuming

    stones in black sand.

    to grow

    All four plants needmild temperatures and

    minimal water. They arehappiest outside

    in arid, frost-free areas,but the succulents

    will thrive indoors too.

    THE LIVING ROCKS KEEP

    SPLITTING OPEN, AND NEW

    LEAVES APPEAR. ITS LIKE

    WATCHING CELLS DIVIDE.zann cannon goff, flora grubb gardens

    60 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3 S U N S E T

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    the bat cav

    Line up a series black bat lilies (T

    chantrieri) on a mawith their wingl

    webbed bracts, tlook ready to ta

    flight. Their whiskare a mystery

    some speculate tprovide a pathw

    for ants to crawup for pollination

    as Mark Pendletsays: Theyre just

    of those thingthat makes peop

    go Wow.

    to grow

    Bat lilies need mtemperatures a

    shade. Indoors, kin filtered ligh

    and dont let thsoil dry out.

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    LOOK INSIDEA PITCHER

    PLANTAND YOULL

    SEE DOWN-WARD HAIRS

    THATPREVENTANYONE

    FROMCRAWLINGBACK OUT.

    rob co

    witches brew

    The elegant longthroats on these

    pitcher plants(Sarracenia) havea deadly purpose:to swallow bugs

    after luring them inwith a liquid in the

    top flaps. Bugs getso drunk off the

    nectar that you canjust watch them fall

    right in, says Rob Co,a Northern California

    carnivorous-plantcollector.

    to growPitcher plants can

    grow outside, exceptin the coldest cli-

    mates. Indoors, givethem bright light.

    sticky surprise

    Place sundews on apatio and youll never

    see a gnat again.The fuzzy stems of

    these sundews(Drosera tracyi and

    D. binata) are coatedin drops of dew,which are actuallydigestive enzymes

    that attractand dissolve prey.

    to grow

    Sundews need brightlight, moist soil,

    some humidity, andtemperatures of

    at least 40.

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    HUNT THEMDOWN

    Your local nurseryor florist can order

    most of these plantsand cut flowers.Here are a few

    resources to helpyou find the rest.

    brookside

    orchidsThis Menlo Park,

    CA, nurserysells retail and does

    mail order; its agood source for bat

    lilies, Spanish moss,and monkey cups.

    brookside-orchids.com.

    pacific

    callas

    Go here to orderpitch-black

    callasor any othercoloras bulbsor cut flowers.

    pacificcallas.com.

    the pitcher

    plant projectPacifica, CAbased

    hobbyist Rob Cooffers the occasional

    opportunity tobuy plants on hiswebsite, thepitcherplantproject.com.(Also try california

    carnivores.com.)

    succulent

    gardensSells a variety of

    succulents, euphor-bia, and livingstones. Visit theretail nursery in

    Castroville, CA, orask your local nurs-ery to order whole-

    sale.sgplants.com.

    S U N S E T O C T O B E R 2 0 1