The sign on the black iron gate says “These Plants Can Kill”, and it’s adorned with a skull and crossbones for good measure. The warning is not a joke: the enclosed ground behind these black iron bars is the deadliest garden in the world. And it’s open to the public.
Established in 2005, the Poison Garden at Alnwick Garden in Northumberland, England, is home to over 100 poisonous, intoxicating and narcotic plants. “Before visitors are allowed in, they must have a safety briefing,” said Dean Smith, guide at Poison Garden. Visitors are advised that they are not allowed to touch, taste or smell anything – nevertheless, as the website notes, patrons still occasionally passed out from inhaling toxic fumes while walking.
One of the dangerous plants grown here is aconite, or wolfsbane, which contains aconitine, a neurotoxin and cardiotoxin. But it’s not the worst: “The most poisonous plant we have here is probably ricin. [which contains the toxin ricin] better known as castor bean or castor bean,” Smith said. “The Guinness Book of World Records considers it the most poisonous plant in the world.
Surprisingly, many things that grow in the garden are quite common. “A lot of the plants here grow wild in the UK, and most of the plants are incredibly easy to grow,” Smith said. Even popular home garden bushes like rhododendrons are catered for here. These leaves contain grayanotoxin which will attack a person’s nervous system if eaten. “You’re unlikely to eat the leaves, as they taste disgusting,” Smith said reassuringly.
And then there’s the laburnum, the UK’s second most poisonous tree (only the yew is the most dangerous). Many people have them around their homes because of their beautiful yellow flowers, but they contain a poison called cytisine. “The tree is so poisonous,” Smith said, “that if one of the branches were to fall to the ground, stay there for several months, and the dog comes later, picks it up to hold it like a stick during walk, chances are the dog won’t finish the walk. It’s so toxic.