Rotten Botany

A gardener’s guide to the dark side of nature—a world filled with botanical oddities that will haunt your dreams and inspire your own truly twisted green space.

Rotten Botany invites you on a chillingly delightful journey with unique-plant enthusiast Varla A. Ventura, who unearths the hidden wonders and unsettling secrets of the plant kingdom.

Beyond the eerie aesthetics, Rotten Botany delves into each plant’s scientific and common names, origins, ethnobotanical and folkloric uses, and fascinating lore. You’ll also find practical details such as growth habits, growing zones, and cultivation tips, allowing you to nurture your own collection of “rottanicals.” Prepare to encounter real plants that seem ripped from the pages of a horror novel:

• Lovely Lilies of Death: From the infamous corpse plant, with its fetid stench, to the haunting vampire lily, these blooms will both fascinate and repel.
• Rotten Ornamentals: Explore the dramatic bat plant, the eerie black mondo grass, and the whimsical Nightmare Before Christmas tree.
• Carnivores: Witness the cunning traps of the Venus flytrap and the exotic beauty of various pitcher plants.
• The Deception of Orchids: Uncover mysterious Dracula orchids and elusive ghost orchids.
• The Poison Path: Learn about the deadly beauty of plants such as castor bean, datura, and deadly nightshade, along with their historical uses and inherent dangers.