Featured plant: belladonna

Belladonna (Atropa belladonna).Perennial. Zone 6-9. First and foremost, this plant is deadly if consumed, especially the berries which are attractive to children. If you grow this plant, you must keep from consuming it as well as keep others from consuming any part of it. Buyer assumes all responsibility for the use of this plant.. So, why grow it? Well, if you are a compulsive collector of odd, rare, or unusual plants like I am, here's one for you. I once had a garden of witches' herbs, many of which were poisonous. It was in an out of the way corner of the garden with a fence and gate around it to keep out little ones and pets. My kids grew up knowing they were not to eat anything in my flower gardens unless I saw it first...even if they thought they knew what it was. This plant has some medical history as well as it's use to make witches feel like they were flying...it's part of the poisoning effect. Definitely not recommended as this is one plant that is not to be messed about with. Medically, it is a source for atropine and the drops that eye doctor's use to dilate the pupils contain compounds found in this plant. In fact, it was vogue at one time for Italian women to put drops of belladonna in their eyes to dilate the pupils to make them more beautiful....hence belladonna for beautiful lady. It was one of the poisons of choice for knocking off husbands, particularly Roman emperor type husbands, and it was the poison that was used in MacBeth. Throughout the places where it grows, it is also known as deadly nightshade. It grows to 5' in shady, moist places, and prefers a high pH soil, above pH 7.0. It has pretty flowers and dark berries.

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