What a poisonous thought.

Many years ago I made a promise to myself that I would make a return visit to the Poison Garden if I ever found myself in that neck of the woods again. It would, of course, be most misleading of me to imply that the garden is standalone for it is, indeed, a part of the magnificent Alnwick Castle Gardens. Top tip -if you're a gnat bottomed old bird like me and you have invested in one of the BBC Gardener's World 2 for 1 vouchers then you can use it here and save yourself nineteen quid. Afraid it won't get you into the castle though.

Well lookee here....we made it back. It houses many of the most dangerous plants in the world, but there's no need to panic because it's all lead by a knowledgeable guide with small groups and most things are kept well contained. Exhibits feature from all across the globe, but you might be surprised that some like Wolf's Bane, Giant Hogweed and Laburnum grow here in the wild or in people's gardens. The Gympie Gympie nettle from Oz sounded particularly nasty and is kept in a sealed unit. When it needs handling the gardeners give it the respect it deserves and don full protective gear. 

Knowing that people are told very clearly not to touch, taste or smell anything we thought that this sign outside the front was some sort of joke, but apparently it's not. The guides don't sugar coat the information that they impart and you're left under no illusion as to how horrendous the deaths or side effects can be. They are fully expecting more faintings before the end of the season and this is due to the psychological effect of hearing some of the details and knowing that you aren't permitted to leave until the tour is finished. The letters at the bottom stand for vomiting, ambulance and proposal [not poisoning you'll be relieved to hear]. I had no such issue and happily took notes on my phone, but I shall spare you the details!🤮

Besides this infamous site [another on the dark tourism circuit apparently] the rest of the gardens are stunning. There were still some beautiful plantings last month, but the thing it's most well known for are its magical water features and possibly one of the most beautiful gates that I  have ever encountered [until the next one which steals my heart and mark my words it'll happen again one of these days]. I feel that I often feature flowers in my post, so I shall omit them and just offer up a few photos of these two things instead. It's always good to change it up.

Naively I had thought that I would be able to cover my entire day in Alnwick in a single offering, but it's too rich a seam to mine so there will be a part two. I completely fell under the magical spell of the place.

Arilx

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