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The Newcastle Fish Garden
Audio 02:32
The entrance gate to the Alnwick Poison Garden, near Newcastle, in the north of England.
© Steve F. / Creative Commons
By: Emeline Vin Follow
3 mins
They are almost as beautiful as the French gardens.... The English gardens attract millions of visitors each year and are at the forefront of research and preservation.
In the north of England, the Poison Garden only houses poisonous plants.
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The Poison Garden, north of Newcastle, is hidden behind large black gates adorned with skulls.
Prohibition for visitors to walk alone.
Dean Smith works as a guide alongside a hundred horticultural threats.
"
Some will irritate your skin, others will give you a stomach ache,
" he explains
.
But some can actually kill you, unexpectedly.
The cherry laurel, for example, makes very attractive hedges.
But the leaves produce cyanide gas which prevents the blood from absorbing oxygen.
If you cut them with a pruner, you release this gas.
On a windy day, you won't have a problem… Until you put the leaves in the trunk of your car to go to the recycling center.
You are then in a confined space, poorly ventilated, with cyanide gas... You are driving at 80
km/h, what can happen to you
?
»
In the alleys, there is also belladonna, a handful of which can kill an adult.
Just like rosemary, excellent for memory but dangerous for pregnancy.
Some plants are caged to avoid accidents.
“
This year we have already had more than 60 people fainting.
In fact, there were two yesterday
!
But it's not because of the plants, despite what we would like to believe.
It's because stories are told that get the adrenaline pumping, and some people are very sensitive.
But I am trained in first aid, ready to help if needed!
»
As for the gardeners, they can only work in full suits, for safety reasons.
“
They look like beekeepers, covered from head to toe, even the face.
Take a plant like Hogweed
: if you touch it, it can cause you burns that can last seven years.
We really have to take care of them.
»
A garden created to raise public awareness
The Poison Garden has existed since 2005, the result of the anti-drug prevention work of the Duchess of Northumberland, Jane Percy, who obtained the almost unique authorization to grow, among other things, cannabis.
“
We also grow catha edulis, also called khat.
The leaves are chewed for an amphetamine effect, but it can make people violent and aggressive.
It also contains carcinogens and can cause mouth cancer.
It has been banned in the UK since 2014. If we showed the purely pharmaceutical aspect of the garden, we would lose the children's attention.
You tell them that plants can kill them, they are fascinated.
This allows us to get our anti-drug message across without preaching.
»
These plants also need to be caged.
This time to prevent some tourists from being tempted to bring back a souvenir of their visit to the Jardin des poisons.
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