Death in the Garden: Poisonous Plants & Their Use Throughout History

by Michael Brown

"Readers who enjoy plants and offbeat tales will find Brown's book a happy mix" (Publishers Weekly).

Mankind has always had a morbid fascination with poisonous plants. Over the centuries, poisonous plants have been used to remove garden pests--as well as unwanted rivals and deceitful partners. They have also been used for their medicinal qualities, as rather dangerous cosmetics, and even to help seduce a lover when perceived as an aphrodisiac. Some of these and other uses originate in a medieval book that has not yet been translated into English. This book delves into the history of these plants, covering such topics

How shamans and priests used these plants for their magical attributes, as a means to foretell the future or to commune with the gods
How a pot of basil helped to conceal a savage murder
The truth about the mysterious mandrake
A conundrum written by Jane Austen to entertain her family--the answer to which is one of the plants in this book

These stories and many more will enlighten you on these treacherous and peculiar plants, their defensive and deadly traits, the facts behind them, and the folklore that has grown around them.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, Nature, Gardening, Crime, True Crime

358 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Michael Brown (born 1965) is Professor of Scottish History at the University of St. Andrews. His main research interests centre on the political society of Scotland c.1250 - c.1500 and on the relationships between the various communities of the British Isles during the same period. He has published studies of the practice and ideology of royal and aristocratic lordship in Scotland. His books include James I (1994), The Black Douglases (1998), The Wars of Scotland, 1214 - 1371 (2004) and Disunited Kingdoms: Peoples and Politics in the British Isles, 1280 - 1460 (2013).

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Granted, very much of author Michael Brown's presented and featured information and his often minute details on over sixty poisonous (mostly United Kingdom) plants and how they have been historically used over many centuries has definitely been both interesting and also quite botanically enlightening (especially with regard to how poisonous plants have been not only tools of murder, mayhem and subterfuge, but how they in bygone days were also regularly utilised for instances witchcraft and of course and naturally also or a plethora of medicinal purposes).

However and my personal botanical interest in the topic and content of Death in the Garden: Poisonous Plants and Their Use Throughout History notwithstanding, when all is said and done, I really have not all that much enjoyed Michael Brown's printed words, mostly because I have found his authorial tone of voice and expression, I have found the author's writing style incredibly rambling and tedious (especially with regard to his constant name dropping, listing ancient philosopher after ancient philosopher, Mediaeval herbalist after Mediaeval herbalist and to the point that I for one have felt that the actual subject of Death in the Garden: Poisonous Plants and Their Use Throughout History, that the poisonous plants that Michael Brown is supposed to be describing are often or at least seem to often get buried underneath and by his ramblings and personal remembrances, that Michael Brown's work as a gardener, that the actions and behaviours of the human players in and of Death in the Garden: Poisonous Plants and Their Use Throughout History sure do seem much more important to the author than the plants themselves are (and yes, that this has indeed on both an academic and on a general reading pleasure level made Death in the Garden: Poisonous Plants and Their Use Throughout History rather tediously flowing and thematically, content-wise pretty much a rather major reading disappointment).

Combined with the fact that especially the Kindle edition of Death in the Garden: Poisonous Plants and Their Use Throughout History also contains (in my opinion) far far too many frustrating typos, I really can and will (and yes, even though I have indeed found parts of Death in the Garden: Poisonous Plants and Their Use Throughout History most certainly interesting and actually with much "need to know" details on how to safely approach and handle toxic plant species) only consider two stars for Death in the Garden: Poisonous Plants and Their Use Throughout History (for yes indeed and in my opinion, much more could have been done here and that especially Michael Brown's writing style does desperately and definitely require considerable condensing and tightening).

[Alex Sarll]

This survey of garden poisons is probably more of a book to flick through than the sort to read from end to end, especially on screen, which may be why the Netgalley ARC took me quite so long. Granted, it does open with some slightly more narrative chapters - on poison and witchcraft, history's most notorious poisoners, and the pioneers who wrote the early textbooks and herbals. These offer a passable enough survey of the field, but some will be fairly skimmable for anyone who knows this stuff. Still, I suppose you couldn't really do without them (and if you've been on a Hamilton kick recently, the bit on how primitive medicine probably hastened and certainly didn't slow Washington's end has a certain extra resonance). Michael Brown is a veteran gardener, the book being adapted from his talks, and while I'm sure the style is perfectly engaging in person, aided by props and demonstrations, on the page it can read a bit tum-te-tum-te-tum. Not that he doesn't have the information, but again, the organisation jumps about without an obvious logic, so we go from ergotism to Hippocrates within a couple of pages, via a rather forced 'Don't do drugs, mmmkay' warning. Anyway, that's about the first quarter of the book, after which we're into an alphabetical plant-by-plant survey, complete with colour illustrations. I am very far from being an expert botanist, so I can't comment on the accuracy, but I may potentially remember a few more plants after this? I was already fairly clear on not eating them, mind. Although matters get horribly confused by including eg basil, which yes, is associated with a notable literary murder, but surely that's pushing it? Granted, there's also a suggestion that taken in excess it might have certain narcotic side-effects, but seriously, given the amount of pesto I can sometimes get through on hangover pasta, I have my doubts. And in general, the accounts of notorious murders associated with given poisons feel - when taken en masse - a little padded, a little lacking in any particular character or perspective. It's not a bad book, by any means; I think I just wanted something different from it, a dark cousin to the farmer-turned-writer mode in which people like John Lewis-Stempel excel. So chalk it up to an infelicitous meeting of text, format and reader.

[Vanya Prodanova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Незнайно защо тази книга не е много обичана. Аз обаче я намерих за изключително приятно четиво. Размазах се от кеф, докато я четох, и чудесно се съчетава с INKtober, посветен на отровни цветя. :)

Книгата си има всичко - снимки, полезна и любопитна информация за различни видове опасни цветя и растения. Всичко поднесено с щипка хумор в стегнат вид. Чете се наистина бързо книгата и много се забавлявах с историите около различните растения. Наистина не разбирам защо толкова хора не я харесват. Може би защото авторът се фокусира върху UK, което ако не живееш тук, може и да не ти е чак толкова интересно, но според мен - да четеш колко абсурдно глупави могат да бъдат понякога британците - си струва да се прочете независимо къде живееш. :Р

Е, красивите цветя и растения, които виждам ежедневно когато съм навън из някой парк или градина, вече не са това, което бяха преди. А и британците са обсебени от градините си и е заразна тази мания. Може би затова така ми хареса книжката. ^^

[Tweedledum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book after visiting the fascinating Chelsea Physic Garden and have been dipping 8th it from time to time ever since . There are helpful links at the end to websites for advice if you think someone has suffered from plant poisoning and also information about plants whose hairs or sap cause allergies.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Not only did it confirm that I seem to have managed to stock my garden with some pretty useful plants but that even the most common plants can be used for nefarious purposes. Brown gives us a bit of a history lesson in terms of how plants have been used over the centuries and how they are still used today before delving into a variety of specific and common plants that should and should not be grown by the domestic gardener. While he doesn't delve into the details too much, he does include various references as well as some general growing tips should you wish to have a bit of fatal florals around the place.

[Leyla Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really interesting book, as a child we were always told not to touch this plant or that, it is good to know that there was some basis to the instruction. There is a full description of the plant including colour picture, and this is extremely helpful, living in Australia some of the plants have different common names.
There are quite a lot of historical details in amongst the plant information which I found quite interesting. The beginning of the book proved a little slower and harder to get into being pure facts.
I did enjoy the book, and now I did not think it was going to be a murder mystery, although I can see the link and why poisons where used in Golden Age writings.

[Charleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

A British book of garden plants. The pictures are good and most of the information is interesting. However the book (or at least my copy) contains several errors that an editor should have caught and corrected, like typos or repeated words, sentences out of order. I also have suspicions about the quality of scholarly research, after trying to follow up on Alraunwurzel the alleged Germanic goddess and finding nothing. I would have liked more information about how precisely the different poisons affect the human body. But that's more medical than the scope of this book, which focuses on history. Old herbalists' advice is presented with mild caveats to not try this at home. I wish there was more separation between "plants that are mildly poisonous" like basil, lettuce, hemp, and nettles, and "plants that will kill you dead" like deadly nightshade, hemlock, and monkshood. You could have a poison rating, like one to five skull and crossbones!
The murder story included in the entry about henbane, of Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen and the "folded parcel of skin" the police found in his cellar that may or may not have been his wife haunts and vexes me.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The information was interesting. The editing was not so good.

[Asia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I read a third of the book and skimmed the remainder.

This book would be better titled “Death in the Garden: Mythology and Folklore of Poisonous Plants” because there is a lot of Greek mythology and folklore.

A whole chapter is about herbalists and their books written literally hundreds of years ago. The author mentions there are many inaccuracies in these ancient herbalists’ works, then proceeds to reference these herbalists throughout “Death in the Garden.”

Highlights of “Death in the Garden”

Agaric: used by Viking berserkers to go berserk, but there is no writing about this in Viking history because it was a secret. Google it.

Hogweed: almost killed a man. Not because of the plant itself but because he used petrol on the plant and set it on fire. He also caught fire.

Basil: The chapter on basil is sourced from a poem.

Henbane: “Witches are alleged to have used it in their flying ointments.” Later, the author speculates that the witches might have applied the ointment to their brooms, and because they did not wear undergarments, they absorbed the ointment. They then hallucinated the sensation of flying. You can Google henbane’s association with “witches.” I love that skepticism wasn’t about witches’ existence but rather how they used henbane. This was my favorite part of the book.

Lettuce: can induce sleep when it is mixed with hemlock, henbane, and opium. This was my second favorite part of the book.

English Ivy: makes doing yardwork uncomfy.

Sarracenia: eats bugs. So dangerous, so deadly.

This book was published in 2018. The internet existed.

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you are a gardener or a history buff, you’ll love this nonfiction book about the poisonous plants we have feared, revered and misunderstood for thousands of years. Brown begins with the ancients, who used poisonous plants to stealthily dispatch enemies and moves on to the Middle Ages where kingdoms were often lost and won with the help of poison dispensed through food, drink and even clothing. Then in more modern times when people began to use plant based household products to murder and others to get rid of unwanted plants and pests, unaware they were also often dooming themselves. My biggest surprise was learning how many of my own plants were poisonous. I knew about foxglove and lily of the valley, but columbine and crocuses? Who knew? Brown provides a comprehensive list of poisonous plants likely found in our gardens, accompanied with gorgeous photos and a fascinating history of the plant, and its uses (and abuses). An absolute necessity for the home gardener, I know I’ve decided to plant my very own poison garden this summer. Thanks to Pen & Sword for the review copy

[Polly Krize · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It is always amazing to me that so many of the plants in our gardens have many beneficial properties in addition to being poisonous! This book gives so much background information and folklore, it should be part of every gardener's bookshelf. Particularly fascinating (to me) is the way that so many plants can deter invading insects in our gardens without us having to resort to chemical products. These plants are using chemical warfare of their own production!

[Occultorum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book because of my interest in the historical use of the poisonous plants, that goes beyond just murder. This book covers many poisonous plants and offers a lot of interesting information about them. Definitely a must read book if you're interested in botanic, poisonous plants, traditional witchcraft or just history.

[Victoria Pring · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to find out what people used to use each of these plants for however I would have appreciated a little more consistency with the information given. Some plants had pictures, some didn't. There was also a lack of indication on how deadly some of the plants actually were.
Overall an interesting book but not one I'd want to flick through again

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the historical perspective on how toxic plants were used. It was a good illustration of the concept that "the poison is in the dose." I also hadn't been aware that some of the plants included are actually toxic.

[Amber R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information was interesting but the author felt a bit pretentious with his constant noting of what estates he worked at and which gardens he cultivated. I just wanted the information and history.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

For the title, I would have expected more details on the historic uses and whatnot. Instead it's a generalized plant book that happens to throw in a line or paragraph about what it did or was rumored to do. Not very interesting at all.

[Alexa · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 30 percent

This book had potential. I didn't like the layout of it and there was so much opportunity to openly discuss deadly plants as a whole and their impact on modern medicine rather than encyclopedia the different plants.

[David Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Death by digestion

I did not realize that the plants were found In English gardens. After awhile a started skipping plants I had never heard of and likely never see.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of the poisonous plants common in gardens. Highlighting their uses throughout history. Also contains a guide for starting your own poisonous garden.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Badly written and in need of editing. The author jumped all over the place. Only interest in plants made it worth reading.

[Kaitie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book about a variety of poisonous plants.

[katrina french · Rating 5 out of 5]

poisonous plants

Learned a lot in this book. Highly recommend anyone read it. Irs important to recognize plants in nature. Keep pets and kids safe.