You ca n’t say the people behind the Poison Garden did n’t discourage you . The only manner into the noxious nursery is through gates emblazon with skulls , crossbones , and a warning : “ These plants can drink down . ”
It ’s just a diminished portion of the 42 - acre garden at Alnwick Castle in Alnwick , Northumberland , England — but it carry a big punch . From ricin toxin and strychnine to coca ( used to make cocaine ) , the Poison Garden is full of thing people should n’t even smell out , countenance alone touch or eat on . And they ’re deadly serious about the monition : Guests havefaintedfrom inhaling exhaust fumes as they merely walked through the garden . Many of the plant , such as the ricin toxin , are grown in cages , to keep curious guests from getting too airless . Most of the flora grown inside the gate required special government permit to grow .
Alnwick Garden
The Poison Garden is the brainchild of Jane Percy , the Duchess of Northumberland , whose married man further her to revive the garden when they moved into the castle in 1996 . ( We don he was probably a little surprised when his wife set about enthusiastically planting poison hemlock and deadly nightshade . ) She was inspired , in part , by the Medici toxicant garden in Padua , Italy .
One of Percy ’s end is to civilize kids about botany and scientific discipline in a way that actually interests them . " Children do n’t care how a plant curative , " she hassaid . " They think that ’s boring . They want to know how it kills — and how agonizing the expiry is ! … More seriously , it is a place for visitors to find out about the unsafe side of plants . drug are a major headache across the country and an affective yield . Here weoffera unexampled avenue to get multitude talk about the misuse of drugs — most of which grow in nature . "
If the crazy plants at Alnwick Castle seem like something straight out ofHarry Potter , well , you ’re not the only one who thinks so . Alnwick has beenusedfor both interior and exterior shots of Hogwarts in theHarry Pottermovies . But even Professor Snape would pause before making any potion with plant life picked from this garden .
