#garden

#garden

Welcome to the Poison GardenYou won't want to touch, taste, or even sniff any of the plants, but the Poison Garden at the Alnwick Garden is a fascinating tour for anyone interested in botany or murder. The garden in Northumberland, UK, has more than 100 species of toxic plants, including classics like wolf's bane, monkshood, and castor bean, from which the poison ricin is made. Visitors will also encounter familiar plants, like the yew tree and rhododendron, which can be toxic if not handled with care. And that's the point of the Poison Garden, to educate people in the ways that common plants can kill. If you were to visit the Poison Garden, keep in mind that you can only see it by a guided tour, and a safety lecture before entering is required. The garden is restricted by an iron fence all around. They grow some plants that produce drugs, like opium poppies and cannabis, but they also keep count of each plant and destroy them at the end of the season. If you can't go visit, read about the poisonous plants of the Poison Garden at BBC Travel. -via Damn Interesting(Image credit: Amanda Slater) #garden #poison #toxicplant #drug #botany

The Complex Ancient Water Gardens of SigiriyaSigiriya is a huge rock formation in Sri Lanka, also known as the Lion Mountain. On top is the ruins of the palace and fortress of King Kasyapa, who moved the capital from Anuradhapura to Sigiriya upon seizing the throne, and began building the mountain fortress in 477 AD. It is accessible by more than 1200 steps carved into the rock. The palace is in ruins, but the walls, and an enormous pool remain. Sigiriya is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Amorphophallus Titanum, Known as the Corpse Plant, Blooms at the San Diego Botanic Garden in CaliforniaLast Monday, the San Diego Botanic Garden welcomed nearly 200 visitors to see the brief bloom of the rare Amorphophallus titanum plant.In the United States, the exotic Sumatran jungle plants, also known as the "corpse plants," are rarely found in public gardens. They're famous for their massive blossoms, which produce a horrible, pulsating odor of decaying flesh when they're in full bloom. The famous flower bloomed on Halloween evening in the San Diego Botanic Garden after a month-long growth cycle.The bloom lasts for 48 hours, according to Horticulture Manager John Clements, who is one of a few garden personnel who haveresearched the plant, and it is unlikely to blossom again for the following three to four years. He further reported that once the clock struck midnight on Sunday night, the plant's odor grew stronger and more noxious. The flower's spadix temperature rose from 75 to 97 degrees thanks to thermogenesis, and it is now at its peak bloom and scent.The flower was 6-foot-tall and in full bloom when Monday morning dawned, with blood-red petal spathes that progressively turned deep maroon. A wave of odor would float from the plant every few minutes, even though its aroma was more muted. The guests, on the other hand, were unaffected by the odor as more people arrived to see the bloom.Images by: Jarrod Valliere/The San Diego Union-Tribune   #CorpsePlant #SanDiego #Botanic #Garden