6 JULY 2019AMATEUR GARDENING 59What’s your poison?
T
HE Ricinus communis or castor
oil plant ‘Carmencita’ looks like
a maple on steroids. Its leaves
are the size of dinner plates
and redder than Postman Pat’s van, but
below its innocent tropical lushness lies
a murky Cold War past in the service
of Russia’s KGB.
Back in 1978, Soviet secret agents
masquerading as commuters (allegedly)
used its poisonous seed to assassinate
a Bulgarian journalist, Georgi Markov,
outside London’s Waterloo station.
The murder was akin to a James Bond
plotline, with the victim stabbed in the leg
with the point of a modified umbrella and
at the same time injected with a plant-
based toxin (ricin) that had no antidote.
It was a grizzly business, for sure,
and if memories of that murder weren’t
enough to tarnish ricin’s reputation, a
cameo on the Netfix series Breaking
Bad has compounded this tender
shrub’s ‘public enemy’ status. It hasn’t
put me off, though. My attitude toA mysterious past of murder and Cold War associations
surrounds the castor oil plant, but it’s still beautiful to Toby“My attitude is
that knowledge
is better than
ignorance”
poisonous plants is that knowledge is
better than ignorance.
And ricin is hardly unique in its power
to bump you off. Foxgloves, hedgerow
hemlock, or laurel and yew berries all
have the potential to do that, so should
never be grown where they might be
mistaken for salad or accidentally eaten.
So, while I’d keep young children
away from where it grows and never
tether a goat to the trunk, I’m happy to
give it space at the back of the border- and I do. In fact, I’ve got R. communis
‘Carmencita Pink’ and ‘New Zealand
Purple’ alongside the red, all raised
from an early sowing of seed and
happily growing among the dahlias.
They enjoy the same rich soil, sunshine
and sheltered conditions, and if grown
in a pot can be kept from year to year
as conservatory plants. I’ll just save
Create a tropical border
some seed, and put the stems and
leaves on the compost to safely
break down just like the poisonous
tops of rhubarb.
Other fabulous plant partners are
purple Verbena bonariensis and orange
Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia).
I saw a similar scheme in the city centre
of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire – the
home of our spooks at GCHQ. This time,
Mr Bond, the pleasure will be all... ours!GOOD soil and watering in dry weather are essential for
a lush look. Add plenty of compost when planting to fuel
the roots and plant pot-grown specimens that are tall
enough to have their heads in the sun from the start.
If shaded, they never catch up with overhanging
neighbours. For an exciting effect, combine foliage with
different shapes and colours, such as the castor oil plant
and bananas with vivid flowers planted throughout.
Dahlias always look good, but they must be staked before they
mature as competition for sunlight makes them prone to toppling over.
All photography Alamy, unless otherwise credited
The castor oil plant
‘Carmencita’ has
bronze-red leaves
and showy red
female fl ower spikes
in summerCombine the castor oil
plant with some bananas
and vivid fl owersThere are several
poisonous plants in
the UK, including
the yew (pictured),
foxgloves and laurelTop inset: Morguefile / OldGreySeaWolf
Toby Buckland
To b y’s top tips
1
The spiky seed pods are the
most poisonous part of the
castor oil plant. Removing them
in late summer reduces any risk
and diverts energy to the leaves,
making for a better show.2
Castor oil seeds, aka beans,
are pressed to extract castor
oil. The poison doesn’t transfer into
the oil because it is water-soluble
provided there is no cross-
contamination during production.What’s your poison?
Top inset: Morguefile / OldGreySeaWolf
Ricinus communis
will grow happily
among dahlias as
they enjoy the
same conditions