The Poison Garden

A combination of dark, ivy-coloured tunnels and flame-shaped beds create an educational garden full of interest and intrigue, where the most dangerous plants are kept within giant cages.

The Poison Garden is a collection of plants, all of which are poisonous.

80% of all plants have poison in them, but here 100% are poisonous plants, which is why we have to have certain rules like no touching, no tasting and no smelling at certain times of the year.

There are about 100 plants in The Poison Garden

Tobacco.  This surprises a lot of people.  About 78,000 people die each year in the UK with many more living with debilitating smoking-related illnesses

The one that surprise most people is nettles because they don't realise that the sting is a poison because it's something that they interact with on a daily basis.

The tea-cup poisoner - Graham Young - from the 1960's/70's.

He started when he was 14 years old poisoning his mother and his sister with atropa belladonna squeezing the berries which are quite sweet into their tea.  He treated it as one big science experiment.

We educate them so that they know the dangers in their own garden, especially for children, but entertaining as well.

Ricinus Communis, the caster bean plant.

There is enough poison in one bean to kill about 130 people and there is no antidote.

The amount of people that faint, for no reason whatsoever.  It's purely because the stories that we are telling them are so exciting.