Gothic Styles

The heyday of Gothic styles in architecture was about 1180-1500 or possibly 1550ish in some regions.

Gothic styles – and the movement was above all architectural – became increasingly ornate and elaborate after about 1380-1400. The style was most fully developed in Northern and Central Europe – France, Britain, Central Europe (as far east as Transylvania) – and also parts of Italy, Spain and Portugal. Key features included: flying buttresses to support the walls and roofs. This allowed for large stained glass windows. Another key feature was the pointed arch (as opposed to the round arch inherited from ancient Rome); also large areas devoted to the choir, screens shutting off the choir and sancturary from the nave; spire (on top of towers).

Gothic architecture (except perhaps at the end, when it became playful) tended to make churches dark and mysterious places of awe, sometimes even with a whiff of the uncanny.

In painting, ‘Gothic’ art sometimes tended to be two-dimensional.

Note that the term ‘Gothic’ was first used after about 1530 and meant something like ‘barbaric’.

From about 1770 onwwards there was a ‘Gothic revival’, with Gothic and pseudo-Gothic styles again popular. Two outstanding examples in Britain are the Houses of Parliament and St Pancras Station.

Black Flowers.

 What is it about black flowers? Why does everyone get
 excited about them?

 I really don’t think that the appeal for black flowers  has
 anything to do with mourning flowers at funerals.
 I used to work in a flower shop, and we hardly ever got
asked for black flowers in a wreath.

I think the rich color and the soft and velvet feel of these
blossoms are what attract us. Many have lovely shadings
of burgundy and red, and are so elegant in their color
schemes, each petal seems to have a different texture.

The gardener’s desire for black in the garden, does not
stop with the flower color but also applies to foliage.
When thinking of that, who can overlook the wonderful
coleus” Inky Finger” and ” Black Dragon” .

Annuals also present some lovely and exciting black
flowers, there is;

Amaranth            ” Hopi Red Dye”
Cornflower          ” Black Gem’
Baby Blue Eyes  ” Pennie Black”
Poppy                  ” Black Peony”
Artropurpurea   ” Beefsteak Plant”
Scabiosa              ” Ace of Spades” and” Chile Black”
Strobilanthes     ”  Persian Shield”
Viola                   ” Bowles Black”

There are many many more, perennials, shrubs and other plants
that would also fit in  a Gothic Garden,  so if you would like to find
a few, just get in touch with me.

 Black Flowers are beguiling and bewitching, does that mean that
 we are under a spell?  Who knows?  

I don’t. do you

meet you on the dark side.

Design Your Gothic Garden

When you design your Gothic garden, remember
to include a few pumpkin seeds in your vegetable
patch.
Pumpkins were used as lanterns at Halloween
as the best containers for holding candles.
In Ireland and in northern parts of England, 
turnips were hollowed out to light the way of
late night travellers, so you may also want to
consider the lowly Rutabaga as a vegetable
 in your Gothic garden.

There were other plants associated with ill luck
or death, take for instance, cacti ( in Hungary)
lilacs, and any flower that is usually associated
with funerals, these being mostly chrysanthemums
and of course,lillies.
It is deemed unlucky ( I don’t know why!) to pick up flowers
that have fallen to the ground, and any flowers that bloom
out of season are considered to be “touched by the devil”
so you may want to keep a track of those, in your Gothic
garden!!

Black Dragon Coleus, is a must, for Gothic Gardens.

Since Alexander Dumas published ‘The Black Tulip’ in 1850  the
lure of black plants does not seem to have waned, although, as I
 have mentioned before, they are really not black
 but a very dark maroon.
 .

 You can let your imagination run riot
 with a Gothic garden theme as there
are no rules.

You could have a skull as an ornament,
or maybe many dark blooms planted together,
you can go wild and just enjoy your Gothic garden,
as gardening should not be a grave thing!

Meet you on the dark side!

More Gothic Plants For Your Garden.

 Cosmos have a wonderful burgundy-black flower that is a great plant for the Gothic garden. It has a slight chocolate scent so  it can be used in a fragrant garden ( not for eating!.) It is a  wonderful plant and although an annual, it does self-seed.  You may also like to try another Gothic type plant, the  sunflower. They are an easy growing plant and they come in many deep reddish colors , all with dark centers.
Although we are used to daylilies in lovely bright colors, they also come in dark colors such as;
Smoking gun
Midnight Magic
Night wings
Cairo Night
Dominic

 I just love ” Buddleias” in all colors , but for my Gothic garden I chose ” Black Night” with it’s blue black flowers, and this plant attracts Butterflys, with it’s lovely fragrance.
There are also ornamental plants that have a sinister appeal, Black Mondo grass is another favorite for the garden , it gives quite a dramatic effect, Nigrescnes is not actually a grass, it has purple-black leaves and small pink flowers, which are followed by glossy black berries.

 The Ornamental Sweet Potato has a lovely cultivar called “Blackie” , this Gothic plant, has black leaves and stems. I use it extensively in my hanging baskets and containers, or you may use it on a trellis or garden arbor. You can sit under your arbor and enjoy the lovely leaves that cascade down, from this plant.

 The last plant, but not the least, is Carpet Bugle. It has a  variety called “Royalty” which has midnight purple leaves and can be used as a ground cover.

It is hardy enough for the dead to walk on it!!

‘meet you on the dark side.

Gothic Gardening Roses.

 In the world of those experts in rose gardening, there is
 really no such thing as a ” Black Rose”

 The closest one can really come is to this rose.
‘The Rose Black Baccara ‘or ‘Taboo.’

 Other dark roses are;

Ink Spots
Ingrid Bergman
Oklahama
Black Jade
Tuscany
The Squire
Deep Secret
Kentucky Derby
Onyx
Black Tea

If you would like to grow other Gothic plants then try
some of these;

The Black hollyhock( Althea nigra) known as “the Watchman” it can
be quite spectacular in the garden, and many people do not
know that it has been around for quite some time, in fact
this plant was one of Thomas Jefferson’s favorites!

Snapdragons have a cultivar known as the ‘Black Prince’, the
blooms here are a rich dark velvety crimson, they are
very striking in the Gothic garden.

You can’t leave out the statuesque Canna lily called
‘Black Night” it has not only deep red blooms, but
burgundy foliage.
This is a must for the ‘Gothic garden’

Gladiolus have several varieties that are dark,black- red
rather than true black. These are;

Morocco
Black Stallion
Black Swan
Betwiched

Does anyone remember ” Tyrone Power”
in the ‘Black Rose?’.

meet you on the dark side!

garden with themes.

  Themed gardening is one of the most often
  requested  by people that I
  design gardens for.

 Gardens with a theme take on the
 personality of the owners of the
property, and they have such fun
deciding what theme they want
that fits their life style.
When you think of the fall, you think
of pumpkins, lanterns, ghosts
and goblins , and your garden?
. 
I have had some homeowners, who have
really taken this season to heart,
and have designed their gardens with
orange and very dark plants.

Some very keen sports fans, want their gardens
to flourish in the colors of their team
( not always easy to do! ).

I have just started using the gothic theme
in my garden, it is very different and 
challenging, but what else is gardening all about?

No more pastels, pinks and yellows etc,
now I am using black and the closest
that I can get to that color,
in today’s plants.

I also use dark red flowers and foliage plants
and vegetables that speak to the darker
side of simple gardening.

Who said Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde were only in fiction?