Plants in Horror Literature: Exploring Different Genres in the literary garden

Much like in every day life, plants play a role across literature genres in major and subtle ways. Of course, there is flowery poetry and novels set in forests and gardens. But plants also ward off vampires or, in some cases, can be the villain. The Literary Garden: The Cultivation of Plants & Gardens in Narratives explores how plants appear across all literary genres. Learn more about how plants feature in science fiction, horror, and even plant horror texts.

Gothic fiction

This special edition of *Dracula* features features a cover pattern of a garlic blossom garland. Photo by Virginia Harold.

In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, garlic is a key ingredient to keep vampires away. Lucy by van Helsing even wears a garlic blossom garland to ward off future attacks after she is bitten.

An herbarium specimen of European mountain ash, Rowan tree
*Sorbus aucuparia*. The wood of this tree is tough and flexible and was renowned for use to make stakes to kill vampires. Photo by Virginia Harold.

But it’s not the only plant with protective powers. A townswoman also gives protagonist Jonathan Harker mountain ash and wild roses for protection.

A copy of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein on display at the *Literary Garden* exhibition at the Sachs Museum. Photo by Virginia Harold.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein explores the themes of the power of nature.

An herbarium specimen of Sessile oak, *Quercus petraea*, on display in the Literary Garden exhibition. There are several oak species in Europe, but it is possible that it was a sessile oak Victor Frankenstein might have encountered. This species is common in Switzerland and Germany where the novel opens. Photo by Virginia Harold.

Perhaps the most iconic moment of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is when Victor Frankenstein uses lightning to bring his creature to life. But where did he get the idea to harbor the power of lightning? The novel describes when a young Victor Frankestein watched lightning destroy an oak tree.

Plant Horror and Science Fiction

In 1875, Charles Darwin published Insectivorous Plants. The public was captivated by the idea that plants could be carnivorous. Many stories, novels, and later films embraced this theme. Some, like Little Shop of Horrors, took a light-hearted approach while others had more serious environmental theme.

The cover of *The Day of the Triffids* features an illustration of the fictional triffid plant. Photo by Virgina Harold

In The Day of the Triffids focuses on a fictional plant cultivated for valuable oil. The triffids eventually take on human characteristics and begin to kill humans en masse. The triffid can walk, communicate, and learn, presenting a great challenge to human identity. The book is significant for its environmentalist undertones.

The cover of *Bloom* also features illustrations of a fictional plant species, an invasive type of black grass. Photo by Virginia Harold.

The young adult novel Bloom tells the story of an environmental disaster caused by a mysterious invasive species of black grass that releases toxic fumes. It is the first of a science fiction trilogy, which touches on the signifcant environmental theme of invasive species.

An herbarium specimen of Black grass, *Alopecurus myosuroides*. Black grass is a weed native to Eurasia and north Africa, but it has spread to other parts of the world. This species is known for
infesting winter cereal crops and is resistant to pesticides. Photo by Virginia Harold.

See more about the Museum

The main gallery of the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum featuring the *Literary Garden* exhibition. The exhibit is open through March. Photo by Virigina Harold.

Horror is just one of the many genre featured in The Literary Garden exhibition. The exhibition explores a diverse array of authors, genres and types of literature including children’s literature, cookbooks, comics including manga and anime, horror, fantasy, science fiction, authors and their gardens, murder mysteries and more. It is open through March at the Sachs Museum.

The Sachs Museums is open for visitors daily from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Museum and exhibition content is available online at the Sachs Museum Instagram, Twitter/X, and Bluesky accounts. Please check the Sachs Museum page or Linktree for updates and future events.

Catherine Martin
Senior Public Information Officer

Many thanks to Museum Curator Nezka Pfeifer for the content.