Green Goes Goth: rOOTS KC offers a darker plant collection for an eerie aesthetic
Courtesy Dee Ferguson
As the leaves turn over and the wind picks up a slight chill, it’s finally time to say goodbye to 100-degree heat and welcome autumn back into our lives. With the season change come flannels, scary movies, and prep for every cool kid’s favorite holiday: Halloween.
However, for the goths, emos, and scene kids, spooky season is kind of an everyday thing. We’re already watching the third horror film of the week, and our closets are full of black clothes. It’s not a phase, Mom; it’s a lifestyle.
With the season change also comes new decor to cover our homes with: black cats and bats, vampire teeth, and fake blood, to name a few. For the plant-lovers, though, finding the perfect flora can be a little tricky. How do you keep a dark, brooding aesthetic when bright green is mixed in, too?
The Indoor Goth Garden. // Photo by River Louraine
rOOTS KC, a women-owned plant shop in Kansas City, has joined the dark side and has started its first-ever indoor goth garden collection, available now at both locations.
Complete with darker-colored plants and cacti and edgier pots to hold them, this assortment is ideal for those who want a little life in their home decor without detracting from the carefully curated spooky vibe.
When I went to the rOOTS KC location on the corner of 17th Street, I walked in as a complete newbie to plant parenthood. In the past, I have struggled to keep the most low-maintenance plants alive. But because these were a perfect fit for my own aesthetic, I had to give it another try. The shop was filled with all kinds of plants from floor to ceiling, with tables reserved for pet-safe options and highlighted new arrivals. The employee available there was incredibly helpful and told me everything I needed to know, including the fact that if you pick out a plant and a pot for it, they will repot it for you right there in the store.
The goth collection includes Alocasia Black Velvet, a dark green plant with bright white ribbing, Tradescantia Purple Queen, a viney, deep violet plant, String of Hearts, a hanging plant with leaves shaped like hearts all down its stems, and interestingly shaped cacti and succulents, as well as plant accessories like a small, coffin-shaped trellis.
“Houseplants are part of your home,” Dee Ferguson, founder and director of rOOTS KC, says.
“They should feel like you.”
The best part of this new addition to the store is that it isn’t just a one-time fall offering; it will be available year-round. If you’re not confident in your plant-raising abilities yet, but want to add a moody plant to your gothic home soon, rOOTS KC will have them ready and waiting for you.
Now let’s see how long mine lasts.
