An English country garden isn’t usually meant to inspire fear, but that’s the case for one green piece of land that is home to around 100 species of dangerous, toxic and harmful plants.
The Poison Garden, part of the Alnwick Garden, in Northumbria, is set by the impressive grounds of Alnwick Castle which has been used as a backdrop for the Harry Potter films.
And just like the fictional Herbology classes in the movies, where students study magical fungi and plants, the specimens growing in this real garden have some very unusual, and in some cases dangerous, properties.
That’s because the Poison Garden is home to harmful herbacious borders containing the likes of laburnum, atropa belladonna, helleborus odorus, monkshood, ricinus communis, giant hogweed, opium poppy and gympie-gympie.
All of these plants have some rather unpleasant properties, with atropa belladonna, otherwise known as deadly nightshade, being a legendary poison reputed to have been used to kill the Roman emperor Augustus.
Some of the plants don’t need to be ingested to cause harm. Giant hogweed, for example, can cause excruciating pain because it makes the skin ultra-sensitive to sunlight, causing blistering and burns.
Specimens like monkshood can produce pretty purple flowers, but the plants contain huge amounts of the highly toxic neurotoxin aconitine. Consuming just 2mg of aconitine or 1g of the plant may cause death from respiratory paralysis or heart failure.
The Poison Garden is well signposted with warning signs and visitors are only allowed to enter under strict supervision. The Alnwick Garden website states: “The Alnwick Garden plays host to the small but deadly Poison Garden, filled exclusively with around 100 toxic, intoxicating, and narcotic plants.
“The boundaries of the Poison Garden are kept behind black iron gates, only open on guided tours. Visitors are strictly prohibited from smelling, touching, or tasting any plants.
“A combination of dark, ivy-covered tunnels and flame-shaped beds creates an educational garden full of interest and intrigue, where the most dangerous plants are kept within giant cages.
“Delve into the history of poison as our guides remind you of some of the world’s most high profile poison cases.”
Tours of the Poison Garden occur every 30 minutes during the opening hours of main gardens.
