Garden of Poison Arrows

A tropical hallucinogenic plant used to make poisonous Amazonian arrowheads has been found in an English garden. 
Sharon Nowell, 36, thought the green shoots appearing in her parents' garden were the beginnings of a marrow or possibly a common weed at first.

But after a bit of research she soon discovered that the plant – which has grown by four feet in a month – was something far more exotic.
Internet searches showed that the plant was actually a rare datura stramonium – commonly known as the Devil's Trumpet for its distinctive horn-shaped flowers.
The green plant, which resembles a large rhubarb, is more commonly found in hotter climates and has been used by American Indians for centuries in traditional ceremonies.
Despite being highly toxic and potentially lethal if ingested, the seeds in the plant's pods are often used as a mind-bending drug sold as jimson weed on-line for as little as £6.
Experts believe its appearance in the garden in Coventry, West Midlands, originated from the droppings of migrating birds flying from the Atlantic.

 

Garden Wars

A Russian man, who planted landmines in his garden to defend it from intruders, has been convicted to two-and-a-half years suspended sentence on weapons charges, prosecutors said on Friday. Alexander Skopintsev, a resident of the far eastern Primorye region near Russia's border with China, built three explosive traps in his garage last July and planted them around his garden, Primorye region prosecutors said. "During the court hearings, Skopintsev testified that he had prepared the explosive devices to protect his garden against thieves," a statement said. Police arrested him after a trespasser set off one of the landmines in August and was injured, spokeswoman for the prosecutors Irina Nomokonova said.