thanks for the lighthearted message here. I too get a little exhausted by the didactic soil talk here. If I'd read this forum before I'd begun my container garden, I think I would have been too intimidated to start in the first place. Talk about scary!

Well, it was worth a shot but I suppose it's not of much interest, especially at this time of year.

What about Euphorbia flanaganii, aka Medusa plant? Or maybe a plant that has black foliage/flowers? There's the ornamental Black Pearl pepper plant (black foliage, purple flowers, black fruit that matures to red - edible but very hot!), or some Nemophila Descoidalis (Penny Black), a low-growing annual that has black flowers with white edges - could look good trailing over the container's edge.

Some carnivorous Asian pitcher plants (Nepenthes) can look quite sinister, but their care requirements are drastically different than anything else that might be used for a group planting.

Something that I just found might be Lycoris radiata (Spider Lily), or even Hymenocallis liriosome (also called Spider Lily), but that's more of an aquatic/wet feet plant.

There's also the Crocosmia "Lucifer" cultivar if you're looking at including bulbs.

Ooo, I like Euphorbia flanaganii. I'll have to look for that. That whole Euphorbia family has some really interesting members.

Now that you mention it, I do have a black pearl pepper on order and that might work, and a Lycoris radiata (I think), and I might have some "Lucifer" somewhere.

I still have the hymenocallis festalis bulbs from last year that did fine -- one is a foot tall already since I started them a month ago. I like bulbs better than seeds.

I wonder if my itty bitty Primula x polyanthus might kind of look like the Nemophila or if the bright yellow center would ruin it.

I had considered some of carnivorous plants, but their care is more than I want to tackle. They're gorgeous, though. There are some very weird looking ones.

Thank you very much, timbersmith. I have more things to look for now!

Euphorbia platyclada (aka skeleton fingers)

Looks dead even when thriving. I've always kind of wanted one of these, but never got one. Maybe this year.

Doesn't it make you wonder how a plant like Euphorbia platyclada ever started? It seems to fly in the face of everything.

I'm beginning to think someone could completely specialize in Euphorbias and no one would ever be able to tell just by looking that the plants were in any way related.

I'm thinking of adding the Solanum integrifolium (dozens of common names for that one) and the white mini and regular pumpkin seeds I started, too. If they live that long.

I've been thinking of this post all week! Great idea to plant a pot now with Halloween in mind. We decorate the front porch with a giant spider web, spider, and purple lights. I've decided to start a pot with Sea Holly for the tall element. Maybe potato vine for trailing purple/black and chartreuse. What else for a mid-level?

J, I hope your sea holly works. I've killed two already without trying.

Might an amaranthus or celosia be tall enough? Supposedly they keep their color well for a long time. Maybe a couple of the others on the original list, but I'm not sure since a lot of them are new to me.

How about Spilanthes oleracea - eyeball plant? And black millet has a very architctural effect with interesting texture. Good in containers, too.

Thanks for the reminder, vetivert. I have that on the 'plants to find eventually' list but under its other common name, toothache plant, not eyeball plant.

Though some might claim the threat of a trip to the dentist is scarier than anything else....