According to a news report, the deadliest gardens were envisioned by the Duchess of Northumberland, Jane Percy, in 2005 after she recruited Jacques Wirtz, a prominent landscape architect of the French Tuileries, to change the Christmas tree-laden stretch into something unorthodox.
During a visit to Italy's infamous Medici poison garden, the Duchess was inspired to create a refuge for deadly plants.
According to the garden's official website, the 600,000 yearly visitors are only granted entry through guided tours and are expressly forbidden from "touching, smelling, or tasting any plants." Despite the warnings, someone faints now and again after inhaling the poisonous vapors from these fatal plants.
Apart from visitors, botany aficionados from all over the world travel to observe toxic plants such as Monkshood, Rhododendrons, and Wolf's Bane. The gardens also have Ricin, often known as Castor Bean or Castor Oil plant, which is the world's most toxic plant, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
However, most of the plants, paradoxically, contain the key to huge advancements in healing several diseases.
According to the research, the yew tree, for example, is famed for its toxin called taxine, which can kill someone in 20 minutes. However, many people are unaware that it also manufactures taxol, a drug used to treat breast cancer.
Trevor Jones, the Head Gardener, told a news agency, "They are really common plants. In reality, many of them are what we call cottage garden plants, and they are planted in many people's gardens, but many are unaware of how dangerous they are.
People are fascinated with dangerous plants, and I'm frequently concerned when they appear since many of them will be cultivating these plants at home, unaware of the enormous influence plants may have on us as people."
