"I've spent $6k on my Addams Family-style gothic garden - I only grow black plants"
- 16 days ago
A self-confessed goth spent $6k transforming her garden from "ordinary" - to an Addams Family-style “wonderland”.
Chloe Hurst, 29, has spent six years making over her semi-detached bungalow and refuses to grow any plants that aren’t matte black in her garden - dubbing it "gothic gardening".
Her dream is to turn it into “grand Victorian castle grounds” - and she has so far splashed $1k-a-year on plants, compost, vines and shrubbery.
She takes inspiration from films like the Addams Family and Dark Shadows - and insists “it’s not a phase.”
Chloe, a graphic designer, from Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada, said: “I’ve always loved my dark, moody garden - it’s not depressing, it brings me so much joy.
“When I got my own house, I always wanted to turn it into something really special.
“I wanted it to look mysterious and weird.
“The yard is quite small - and I’m constantly adding more plants.
“But it’s beautiful - I love seeing all the different shades of black.”
Chloe adopted a gothic style from the age of three - despite her parents trying to dress her up in pink.
She only wanted to wear black and as she became a teenager she got really into metal music.
Despite friends and family insisting she was going through a “phase”, Chloe says she’s always been fascinated by goth culture.
“I really was born this way,” she said.
“I’m a Scorpio, who are known to be very dark and love that kind of thing.
“I immersed myself in goth culture when I was in my teens - it’s not just an aesthetic.
“My parents would always try to dress me up in typical girly clothes.
“But I was always drawn to black.”
Chloe bought a semi-detached bungalow with husband, Jason, 29, a contractor, in June 2018.
Jason isn’t a goth - so the pair had to compromise on how they wanted to decorate their home.
While Chloe added “flourishes” to each room - like bone decor, shades of black and moody wallpaper - while Jason insisted on painting some of the walls different colours.
Chloe said: “I’m the black cat - and Jason is my Golden Retriever husband.
“If I had the choice, I’d paint every room black.
“Him not so much.
“We have tons of black rooms, moody wallpaper, bones and oddities.
“I just felt it was my time to flourish some of the house with my own style.”
Chloe has been a keen gardener since she was a kid - having been introduced to it by mum, Heather Insley-Galiteau, 64.
Heather, who is now retired, has a “grand” garden filled with colourful flowers - and Chloe used to help by planting vegetables and herbs.
She added: “My mum loves a grand, grand garden.
“Her yard is certainly bigger than mine.
“We planted some vegetables, but the climate in Ottawa didn’t allow for much growth.
“We had some really, really harsh winters.”
Shortly after moving into the bungalow, Chloe spotted some matte black petunias in a local plant nursery.
This inspired her collection of black plants - including black lilies, black tulips and black mondo grass.
Chloe Hurst, 29, has spent six years making over her semi-detached bungalow and refuses to grow any plants that aren’t matte black in her garden - dubbing it "gothic gardening".
Her dream is to turn it into “grand Victorian castle grounds” - and she has so far splashed $1k-a-year on plants, compost, vines and shrubbery.
She takes inspiration from films like the Addams Family and Dark Shadows - and insists “it’s not a phase.”
Chloe, a graphic designer, from Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada, said: “I’ve always loved my dark, moody garden - it’s not depressing, it brings me so much joy.
“When I got my own house, I always wanted to turn it into something really special.
“I wanted it to look mysterious and weird.
“The yard is quite small - and I’m constantly adding more plants.
“But it’s beautiful - I love seeing all the different shades of black.”
Chloe adopted a gothic style from the age of three - despite her parents trying to dress her up in pink.
She only wanted to wear black and as she became a teenager she got really into metal music.
Despite friends and family insisting she was going through a “phase”, Chloe says she’s always been fascinated by goth culture.
“I really was born this way,” she said.
“I’m a Scorpio, who are known to be very dark and love that kind of thing.
“I immersed myself in goth culture when I was in my teens - it’s not just an aesthetic.
“My parents would always try to dress me up in typical girly clothes.
“But I was always drawn to black.”
Chloe bought a semi-detached bungalow with husband, Jason, 29, a contractor, in June 2018.
Jason isn’t a goth - so the pair had to compromise on how they wanted to decorate their home.
While Chloe added “flourishes” to each room - like bone decor, shades of black and moody wallpaper - while Jason insisted on painting some of the walls different colours.
Chloe said: “I’m the black cat - and Jason is my Golden Retriever husband.
“If I had the choice, I’d paint every room black.
“Him not so much.
“We have tons of black rooms, moody wallpaper, bones and oddities.
“I just felt it was my time to flourish some of the house with my own style.”
Chloe has been a keen gardener since she was a kid - having been introduced to it by mum, Heather Insley-Galiteau, 64.
Heather, who is now retired, has a “grand” garden filled with colourful flowers - and Chloe used to help by planting vegetables and herbs.
She added: “My mum loves a grand, grand garden.
“Her yard is certainly bigger than mine.
“We planted some vegetables, but the climate in Ottawa didn’t allow for much growth.
“We had some really, really harsh winters.”
Shortly after moving into the bungalow, Chloe spotted some matte black petunias in a local plant nursery.
This inspired her collection of black plants - including black lilies, black tulips and black mondo grass.