Henbane’s place in the Witch’s Garden is that of inducement … hallucinations, dreams, light, euphoria, for the Greeks it inspired oracles and it’s thought it was the ingredient taken by the Vikings to inspire the berserkers.
Highly toxic and if you live it’s a safe bet you’ll never be quite the same.
This is the second year I’ve tried henbane. Last year produced a scrawny plant with few blooms which was eaten by bugs immediately after blooming. This one seems a lot healthier and is producing much larger and more well-defined blooms.
It could perhaps be that early in the spring I gave it a light spray of Neem oil, which has kept the pests at bay.
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