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The Devil’s Garden

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents The Devil’s Garden: The World's Most Sinister Plants and Fungi by Peter Marren, read by Justin Avoth

“Peter Marren is a master storyteller … he was destined to write The Devil’s Garden.” Richard Mabey

A lively exploration of the poisoners, tricksters, stingers, stinkers and invaders of the plant world and how their lives intertwine with ours.

Some plants and fungi – those we cultivate in farms, gardens and allotments – are pretty, useful or edible. Others are more troublesome: poisonous, or with painful stings, sinister looks or foul smells. In the medieval mind, these would be the flowers of the devil, planted on earth to torment humankind.

The infamous death cap mushroom, innocent-looking but lethal. The monstrous corpse flower, with a stench to match its name. The mandrake, said to scream if uprooted. In this deeply insightful and unflinching read, naturalist and conservationist Peter Marren explores the world’s ‘worst’ plants and fungi and the ways they maim, murder and make mischief to get by.

These species have rich histories, steeped in folklore and superstition, but there are also biological reasons behind why they are the way they are. Step into the devil’s garden and discover their stories, as amusing as they are unexpected and as gripping as they are horrifying.

Critics Review

An irresistible work. Peter Marren opens herbology’s chamber of secrets and teaches us all how to slay it with flowers.
Simon Barnes, author of How To Be a Bad Botanist
A very good book ... Peter Marren seems to have an almost endless knowledge into which he can dip and he has a knack of presenting that knowledge in an accessible and interesting way.
Mark Avery, author of Inglorious
Peter Marren has brought to bear his customary blend of erudition and mordant humour on the thorny issues of plants and fungi that seem to enjoy hurting us.
Country Life Magazine
A bewitching botanical safari. This excursion into the intoxicating world of sinister-sounding plants is as unsettling as it is fascinating ­– at times I could almost feel planty tendrils creeping over my shoulder.
Leif Bersweden, author of Where the Wildflowers Grow
A deep dive into the dark – and often disconcerting – world of poisonous plants and fungi by a master naturalist and storyteller.
Stephen Moss, author of Ten Birds That Changed the World
A wonderful tour through a garden of gruesome delights. Peter Marren explores the slimy, smelly, spiky and sinister in all their glorious awfulness.
Kathryn Harkup, author of A is for Arsenic
Author Peter Marren
Narrator Justin Avoth
Duration 7 hours and 58 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781399436465
Format Audiobook
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
Genre Botany and plant sciences, Chemical and biological weapons, Mycology, fungi, Trees, wildflowers and plants: general interest
Availability AU, GB, IE, US

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