The Poison Garden

 On our recent visit to Alnwick Gardens we just had to take a tour around the Poison Garden.

 It is a walled enclosure behind locked iron gates,  accessible only in the company of a tour guide. The reason being, it has over 100 toxic, intoxicating and narcotic plants. The most harmful ones are kept inside large cages. Not to keep the plants in, but rather to stop any gobshites from smelling, touching or tasting them!

Seriously, how on earth did the Human race become the dominating species on earth?

Among these exotic plants it was strange to see the likes of rhubarb (poisonous leaves) laburnum trees (poisonous seeds - these trees were planted in every English primary school for many years until they worked out what was making the children seriously ill) 

and this one, Hogweed,  whose flowers, if used in a particular way, are lethal.

By the way, this photo was NOT taken in The Poison Garden but rather at the bottom of my own garden!!! 

So be very careful not to piss me off. I know how to make the potion....