Toxic Plants

In my last post in March, I described how Britain circumvented the German blockades in World Wars 1 and 2 by growing, or foraging, plant-based vital medications, and I showed how to start growing some of those plants.   We are now going to revisit the plants and see how they have got on in the last three months. Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) This grows well in the Isle of Man climate and as you can see, this specimen has already started to flower.   The plants are still small (about 9 inches) but should reach a height of around three feet before setting seed. Jimsonweed / Thornapple ( Datura stramonium ) A plant of the sub-tropics, Jimsonweed can be an aggressive invasive weed in warm climates but is difficult to grow in cooler climates like the Isle of Man.   This is the third year I have tried to cultivate it   here.   My last two attempts were unsuccessful, but this plant is doing well.   I learned from my previous failures that Jimsonweed needs room temperature (around 20 degrees Cels