absinthemindedprofessor
19890
733
5
poison garden at alnwick castle
https://www.alnwickgarden.com/the-garden/poison-garden/
Sep 12, 2026 4:13 AM
absinthemindedprofessor
19890
733
5
poison garden at alnwick castle
https://www.alnwickgarden.com/the-garden/poison-garden/
determinedvariable
I am not sure but I think he is trying to tell that these plants will kill us.
Idontknowjustgivemeaname
Giant hogweed is actually spreading pretty easily. They fight it using modified electro shockers
zombiejedediah
That would be https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_laurocerasus
Ordinary laurel for cooking isn't toxic.
Snufflegrumpagus
That's kinda what my 'garden' looks like, but only because I'm shit at lawn and yard care.
TheSlouchOfBethlehem
they weed out only the things that won't kill you
GorillaFLicks
Do the berries contaminate the meat of the child, or is it safe to eat after cooking? Asking for a witch friend.
ThatOtherGirlYouKnow
The meat is poisoned too. Best to avoid eating humans anyway because of the prions and bacteria they carry.
ChloeRed
Eating billionaires would therefore be a contained risk? Sounds good.
ironymus
No it's not with all the drugs they use on a daily basis
JustJimWillDo
I bet this bloke is great fun at parties!
NouvelleWaaagh
Murder parties ?
guitarfourtysix
As long as you don't let him bring the weed.
ironymus
The garden of the Addams Family
anybodyjohn4
no need to invite Trump
HandoB4Javert
I'll have the wood pigeon with nothing on the side.
sadurdaynight
Got datura growing in the yard. We're renting the house. Had bare plots, so I planted stuff. Then other more aggressive stuff popped up..amaranth (edible), korean basil (edible), datura (poisonous). I've been ripping it out and throwing it away, but it's root structure makes it hard to eradicate.
EverNotRelevant
I wonder how many of them are contact poisons, as opposed to ingestion, or maybe even inhalation.
Abersade
A few plants are even capable of poisoning via transpiration, which is really fun when you are driving around with samples of it in your car for a presentation. Taxus cuspidata is capable of this, as is English Yew.
Anarchduke
This is an Ash tree. (carves wood into a bat. This will kill you.
QuantumInc
Hopefully the BBC has had him on to talk about those garden plants that are a bit more dangerous than most would know.
RARusk
Guy looks a bit like Agent 47.
Zixtank
Think we can brew some "tea" blends and ship it off to a few, shall we say, prolific individuals?
khaoselement
Man, I really want to visit that. Can you take tours or is it closed to the public? Not even wanting to go for nefarious reasons I just think it's cool.
TrumpIsAFelon
I smooshed some hogweed in my face once thinking it was chamomile (it’s also known as wild parsnip). Didn’t smell nice and while leaving the park I read the faded sign stating it’s highly toxic. Googled it in the car, saw the pictures and rushed home. Washed off as best as I could, closed all the blinds and hid in the dark for 48 hours. I got away with it thankfully. Serious “day of the triffids” vibes.
SalmySwims
Giant Hogweed looks a lot like Pushki and does the same stuff, except Pushki won't burn you for 7 years. If it rubs on your clothes and then you touch that spot, it can 2nd-hand burn you.
FoamingToad
I wanted to go there a couple of months back (it's just outside of Alnwick, Northumberland) and had travel arranged. Unfortunately there was a clash I'd forgotten about which took priority.
Jamerperson
Ton Scott did a video on the garden a few years ago. https://youtu.be/jGo9gYypQc8 (risking a yt link. Hopefully the bots miss this one)
Idsertian
I was gonna comment this seems like a place for him to visit on his current tour, but seems he already did it.
BadBunnyLadyOfRocksTreesAndDirt
Tom Scott gets everywhere. He has smooth informative presentation of unique opportunities.
tinyfootprints
I visited that garden in 1979. It had become even more glorious by the time Tom Scott did a video about it.
Leonon
His citation for the harmful affects of marijuana is glorious.
arpitp
"Foreman, JE (2000)"
I don't get it.
Leonon
"Joseph Edgar Foreman" is Afroman's legal name. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfZRgCLE4yw
Feralkyn
They have Gympie- Gympie in there. Holy shit. Also, damn, Duchess of Northumberland goes HARD. Love her style and her choice.
BlackDarkkToo
Do they have a Gift Shop?
VintagePixels
https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1MTkzZ3Q2OGllYWdyaTRpNjNibmJ3Zmo3ZHA0d2FndHZ0dHYzNTlxYSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/lYjA4tfvCc8UAju1Op/200w.webp
RacecarIsRacecarBackwards
Germanic people will understand
PrancingPhony
Was that an intended pun? Just asking because gift literally means poison in Swedish.
ijustwonamathdebate
In German to
sarzaya
I love bilingual puns!
hellothisispeggy
This is the only one i've got original YT link for context https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykYDwz52CaM
Fargus57
Do bees that visit the garden produce poisonous honey?
Mesange
Asking the important questions
Fargus57
I was curious as I vaguely recall an article from several years ago that mentioned bees in a certain location (forgot where, but thought it was a remote part of Asia) were making honey that would kill you if ingested. I think the story was about someone who knew about the deadly stuff and used it to eliminate some pesky family members. This seems like it might be a likely location as well.
Makerofthingsmasherofstuff
"I only eat things that come from nature because nature is wonderful and healing"
Poppypoppoppop
It happens more often than we think. This is not the article I was looking for but hey, look at the date
SlasherQuan
"All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison." Paracelsus
zombiejedediah
As a botanist: plants are absolutely out to kill you. You're safer eating animals. They're usually just made of meat.
Legomaniac91
AllTheGoodOnesWereGone
In Illinois we have so many forest preserves and it’s wonderful. But there are a surprising number of dangerous and common plant species. We have the giant photo-toxic thing in this video for example. It all looks so lovely though.
Zunderfeuer
So was the Asteroid that killed all the Dinosaurs
MustardDuck
Actually that astroid was full of molecules and other chemical stuff. Not organic at all. If it had been a natural, homeopatic, free range astroid with essential oils all the dinosaurs would have been completely ok.
Joedog624
Doesn't get more free range than wandering outer space....
Cebrail
Wait wait wait, go back to the one that puts me to sleep forever!
Feralkyn
It's actually really unpleasant. I don't recommend it
rezpawner
4 berries, now do I need to do anything with those, like camouflage the taste, or are they willing to eat them as is? Also, is it the same dose for fat kids, or do I need to take that into account?
thedill2000
Just eat 3 of anything at a time! Dodge that bullet. /s
zombiejedediah
Sweet & tasty. Really quite murderous if you consider it.
cptjellyjiggeler
Halloween is around the corner... time to find out
RecurringNightmare
they are in fact actually sweet...not perfectly, little bitter and give a bit of a dry mouthfeel, similar to sloes...but all that is normal for uncultivated fruit, so yeah, non-american kids will absolutely eat that...doesnt help they are black and look similar to very dark cherries, although they are actually just small black tomatoes...and obviously lethal dosage depends on bodyweight, those 3-4 berries for a child are for a potentially lethal dose, if you wanna be sure you gotta go higher...
FoamingToad
So do them in gin like sloes? Could work.
RecurringNightmare
that should indeed work...but of course you wouldnt dare to give hard liquor to any kids, would you?
FoamingToad
No, not kids.
tinyfootprints
There is no cannabis in that garden. Only dangerous plants are allowed.
FiftyShadesOfMascarpone
All those dangerous plants are also perfectly legal to grow. Yet cannabis is either outlawed or restricted in 95% of countries. Mostly due to intense pressure by the US government, after one racist, delusional piece of shit convinced congress that this harmless plant would cause white women to want to have sex with men of color and "Satanic" jazz & swing musicians. Antipsychotics in the US water supply could have prevented so much global harm.
tinyfootprints
One of the great tragedies of the 20th century and beyond. Countless lives have been destroyed by anti-cannabis laws, and zero good has come out of them. I know old people who would definitely benefit from cannabis for the aches and pains of old age but refuse to use it even in places where it's legal because the vilification campaign that the US Government launched back in 1938 has tricked them into thinking that there is some kind of moral failing in cannabis use.
DaveSauce48
Actually... there is. I've been there, though that was maybe 10 years ago. They in fact have a cannabis plant, but they make sure to point out that it is not actually poisonous in the sense that everything else there will kill you. It's there for drug education I think.
tinyfootprints
It's been 57 years since I visited; there was no cannabis then. I wonder what kinds of hoops they had to jump thru to grow cannabis in that garden without getting busted. The last I heard, there is no legal cannabis in the UK under any circumstances.
DaveSauce48
I think they said they got special permission from the government, but if I remember right it was in a locked cage or something.