Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2016/08/30/this-garden-can-kill-you.html
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He doesn’t really WANT to tend the garden. He’s just in so deep at this point that he’s too terrified to refuse.
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Wonderful, thanks.
A bit exaggerated, or simplified, depending on your view on things. I’m for sure there are more poisonous plants over there he did not mention. 
(Edit: fixed some really bad spelling into not all that awful)
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Been there twice, alnwick is beautiful. They filmed parts of Hogwarts at the castle.
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I live about an hour away. I’ve been meaning to visit for a couple of years but only remember when it pops up on the internet, like now.
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I was going to ask whether this was Ian Fleming’s inspiration for the Garden of Death in “You Only Live Twice” (the novel, not the film), but I see that the Poison Garden was created between 1995 and 2005.
Anyone know if it includes the Gympie Gympie? I’m guessing the head gardener is not that insane though.
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I’ve wanted to go there for years. Hearing about it always reminds me of “Rappacini’s Daughter.”
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Sounds like a lovely plant for over the alarm clock.
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Clicked link. And omg… Triffydin. Suddenly… Day of the Triffids makes so much sense!!! Mind blown…I may have seen the word before, but this is the first time it has clicked.
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I’ve visited a few times. The last time I went there were two guides showing people round- one was excellent, the other talked complete nonsense… so I’d recommend going round twice if you do go.
Most of the plants they have can fairly easily be seen growing elsewhere, but they do grow Cannabis and coca under licence, which you’re unlikely to see in other botanical gardens.
Incidentally, Alnwick’s ‘Barter Books’ were responsible for the discovery and revival of the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ poster.
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Oh, Wikipedia…
The toxin from 5 spines is enough to kill a guinea pig. [citation needed]
I’m sorry your guinea pig died but that does not meet the guidelines for a credible academic source. Rest in peace Mr Piggly 
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Many guinea-pigs died to bring us this information.
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This is serious research, dammit!
Bring in more pigglies!
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What I love about this garden is that it shows a lot of ‘common’ garden plants. Often if not always very nice to the eye. But wich are plain poisonous, from heavy to light. But people (I do to) keep a lot of these plants and don’t know about it.
And I like his joke at the end, same joke I would make when pointing to some nice flowering plant in the garden
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Actually, they will show you the most dangerous plant that kills millions of people every year: tobacco.
And it was in this garden I saw the only sign “Keep off the grass” in the whole park. Guess what it was guarding…
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But we have to tend the garden.
Interestingly carnivorous plants aren’t poisonous. Pitchers of Nepenthes have been used to boil rice and there are tales of huntsmen drinking the water from Sarracenia pitchers even though they’re full of mosquito larvae.
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Please tell me, I do have a hinge, but can’t remember.
Btw, tobacco plant species do have very nice flowers. People (I do not, I’ve only the time for plants who do not need constantly care, because I’m often away) keep them solely for that.
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