The Devil’s Garden
The World's Most Sinister Plants and Fungi
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The Devil’s Garden
Pre-order Now for £14.09
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Narrated by:
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By:
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Peter Marren
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.©2026 Peter Marren (P)2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
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Critic reviews
An irresistible work. Peter Marren opens herbology’s chamber of secrets and teaches us all how to slay it with flowers.
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.
A deep dive into the dark – and often disconcerting – world of poisonous plants and fungi by a master naturalist and storyteller.
A wonderful tour through a garden of gruesome delights. Peter Marren explores the slimy, smelly, spiky and sinister in all their glorious awfulness.
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