The poison garden at Alnwick Garden in northern England is so dangerous that you can only enter it if accompanied by security personnel. Many of the plants are surprisingly poisonous.
Over 100 poisonous, intoxicating or narcotic plants grow in the poison garden of the Alnwick Garden in Northumberland, northern England. Even though the garden is open to the public, it is not easy to get in. Entry is only allowed after a safety briefing – but people have already fainted because they have inhaled toxic plant fumes. But even for stray dogs, the visit could quickly end if they bite into the wrong stick.
From laburnum to cherry laurel – well-known and surprising poisonous plants
Danger to life included: If you visit the poison garden in northern England's Alnwick Garden, you have to find out about its deadly potential in advance. © agefotostock/Imago
"These plants can kill" is written on the black iron gate "Poison Gardens", decorated with a skull symbol. This warning is justified here, the visitor to the garden will probably think after the tour and the explanations of the security staff. As a precaution, you will always be accompanied by a tour guide during the walk, because the plants must not be touched or smelled. First responders are also on standby.
At first glance, some of the plants are not so exotic: Many of the poisonous plants look rather ordinary and also grow in many gardens native to Germany, reports the BBC in a report on the garden, which opened in 2005. Plants such as the highly poisonous monkshood, yews, angel's trumpets – the name says it all – or laburnum are less surprising for many visitors.
Rhododendron rather does. The poison grayanotoxin contained in its flowers and leaves has a hallucinogenic effect in small quantities, fatal in large ones. The cherry laurel can also be found in the "Poison Garden", whose leaves form cyanide gas, i.e. hydrocyanic acid, when injured such as hedge trimming. Of course, one of the most poisonous plants in the world should not be missing either, the castor bean tree. Its seeds are lethal even in the smallest quantities when consumed.
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Precautions also in the home garden
The list could go on and on and shows how useful it is to wear gloves when caring for plants, especially when pruning, even in your own garden.
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A visit to the Alnwick Garden is apparently anything but boring and attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. This makes it one of the most visited gardens in England.