How to Create a Halloween Garden

Plant Halloween related plants early enough that they will be ready to harvest for October 31. Some giant pumpkin varieties take 150 days to grow, so plant them in early spring. Black pansies (Viola tricolor) must be planted in the summer for them to be ready by Halloween.

Other fun Halloween plants include the skeleton bush (Viguiera stenoloba), Venus fly trap (Dionaea muscipula) and wolfsbane (Aconitum). Plants can be grown in a permanent location or in containers, which allows them to be moved for Halloween.

Arrange the plants so they are noticeable in the garden if they were planted in containers. Harvest pumpkins and carve them into Jack-o'-lanterns. Set container plants in bright orange pots to stay with the pumpkin theme, and label the plants with their common names so visitors appreciate the Halloween association and to make it look like a Halloween garden.

Add Halloween decorations. Make a ghost out of cheesecloth and a large, empty soda bottle. Starch the cloth and drape it over the bottle. Hang it with some wire. Make a talking Jack-o'-lantern by lining the carved pumpkin with plastic and setting a baby monitor or walkie talkie inside. Talk through the monitor when people walk by.