Don't stop and smell these flowers.

[progressoid]

Last edited Fri Nov 14, 2014, 03:13 PM - Edit history (1)

Don't stop and smell these flowers. The poison gardens of Alnwick

The beauty of vast, luxurious gardens makes for some very popular places to visit, especially when looking for a restorative escape from the modern world. But there is one garden whose popularity comes for far different reasons. At Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, England, you will find a nursery of the deadliest variety.




Alongside the typical gardens you would expect to see near an English castle is the Poison Garden of Alnwick. Established in 2005, this unusual garden houses more than one hundred infamous killers; plants that throughout history have been responsible for countless deaths and illnesses, and used by many as an instrument of murder.
Read more at http://all-that-is-interesting.com/poison-garden-alnwick#cGrDMqgx1HVgVIGx.99



Upon entering, visitors are given specific warnings to which they better take heed; no one is to touch, ingest, or even smell any of the vegetation located behind the black gate. Parents who are willing to take their children on this tour must keep a very close eye on their young ones at all times. The cost of disobeying the rules in this garden are much more severe than a grounds-keeper scolding.

[Demit]

1. Cool! The dark side of gardening.

[Cleita]

2. I have some poisonous ornamentals in my garden, which are pretty common,

like Oleander and Foxglove. I do notice the deer don't eat them or the tomato plants we eat that are a nightshade with many poisonous species under the genus.

[Tsiyu]

3. Oleander is beautiful but oh, so deadly

One leaf can kill a horse.

I had a few but they died out as I didn't bring them indoors for winter. I love them because they remind me of Tybee Island.

But when i worked for the nursery a few years ago, I go a bad rash on my face from carrying the bigger plants around to arrange them. Another nursery worker got a worse rash.

Yet this was at Home Depot, where they have no warnings on the plants whatsoever. I used to cringe when people had their kids with them; I'd try to warn them.

[Cleita]

4. Living in California, I found it has one good trait of being very drought tolerant.

Although most of my shrubs are drought tolerant and natives, I have lost many of them because of the drought in places where I can't reach them with a hose. The Oleanders are still alive and our rain this week I hope sustains them.

[Tsiyu]

5. They are so pretty

Yeah, they do tolerate drought well, but not cold.

Hope you guys have a nice rainy winter. We got down to 20 degrees last night in TN! I am not ready!

[Cleita]

6. Brrr. Stay warm. Drink some nice hot chocolate. eom