Secret 1

The Garden holds many secrets; beneficial, beautiful and even deadly. Enter the door to the secrets if you dare!

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The oleander plant is one of the south’s most beautiful shrubs. They can grow to 10′ tall and make the most beautiful hedge.

And the most deadly!

All parts of the Oleander plant are toxic. From the roots to the flowers. Even the sap can cause harm, starting with an irritating rash to something far worse. Inhaling the smoke from burning Oleander will also cause harm.

The Oleander plant contains not one, but two types of poisons; oleandrin and nerinne, both having powerful effects on the heart. Ingesting any part of the plant can cause diarrhea, vomiting, wrenching stomach pain, drowsiness, dizziness and an irregular heartbeat, leading to death.

Having treatment like having the stomach pumped with in 24 hours can increase the odds of your survival, but not always.

So remember, not all that is beautiful is perfect. Poison is definitely a flaw.

Victoria LK Williams

Gardening and Writing

Did you know that I’m not only a gardener but also a writer? I write cozy mysteries; all set in South Florida and all with characters who love to garden!

Cover for a new series I’m starting!

I find I do most of my writing either in the garden or from my office looking out into my garden.

Looking out into my garden from my desk

The garden is the perfect place to plot. Often you are working on your own, doing tasks that allow your imagination to wander. That’s how it all started for me. I was tending a secluded garden and started wondering what if a crime were to take place in or around a beautiful garden?

My thought raced. There were so many weapons at hand: shovels, shears, poisonous plants, pesticides and small garden statuary. But my thoughts weren’t all dark. The garden is the perfect place for secret meetings, clues to be planted and maybe even a romance to bloom.

My current titles

If you would like to find out more about my mysteries or sign up for my newsletter, visit my website. Starting in August, the newsletter will feature an extra item called Garden Secrets. You will get a password from the newsletter to have access to these blog posts here in the Gossip from the Southern Gardener blog. Here is the link:
www.VictoriaLKWilliams.com