"This isn't your grandmother's garden guide; it's a moonlit romp through a world of botanical oddities that will haunt your dreams and inspire your own truly twisted green space.
Step into the shadows of the botanical world and discover its most bizarre, beautiful, and grotesque inhabitants. Rotten Botany invites you on a chillingly delightful journey with unique plant enthusiast Varla A. Ventura, who unearths the hidden wonders and unsettling secrets of the plant kingdom.
Beyond the eerie aesthetics, Rotten Botany delves into each plant's scientific and common names, origins, ethnobotanical and folkloric uses, and fascinating lore. You'll also find practical details like growth habits, zones, and cultivation tips, allowing you to cultivate your own collection of 'rottanicals.'
Prepare to encounter real plants that seem ripped from the pages of a horror novel: The Lovely Lilies of Death; Things That Creep; Rotten Ornamentals; The Carnivores; The Deception of Orchids; and The Poison Path.
You'll come away with a deeper understanding of nature's sinister side—and a newfound appreciation for the dark wonders quietly thriving all around us."
"From fairy tales to your garden, Enchanted Plants is a treasure trove of the lore and magic in the kingdom of plants.
Take a walk through mystical, magical, and folkloric gardens and discover the plants and flowers that have captured our hearts and minds for centuries. Will you dare to pick a golden apple or seize the perfect rose? Will you sneak through the gilded gates of the poison garden where plants both alluring and life-saving intertwine? From the baneful bog to the garden gate, plant lover and lover of the bizarre Varla Ventura brings together forgotten lore of plants for the ultimate romp through a botanical wonderland, including excerpts from fairy tales and a lively discussion of each plant's legendary magical and medicinal properties. Don't forget your scissors.
Enchanted Plants is arranged by general environment: cultivated plants and edibles; toxic plants; meadowlands; the woods; marshes and swamps; and tropical plants.
Each chapter contains a cultivated selection of plants with additional information, including botanical name, common names, folklore, ethnobotanical properties, magical and occult properties, and modern usage if applicable."
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