This weekend, I went on an evening tour of the castle garden to learn about Blooming and Fragrant Plants from Ancient Medicine. I followed a plant expert as she talked about the different plants in the garden, and how they were grown hundreds of years ago for their special healing powers. The views of the city from the garden were also amazing! The garden goes back to the late 16th-century, and was called the Hortus Medicus, or the Medicine Garden. It was run by the royal apothecary (someone who makes medicines).
One plant that I learned about was called the burning bush, or dittany. Its scientific name is Dictamnus albus. It looks like a tall green stalk with purple or white flowers, each with five petals.
The flower was very beautiful, but that was not the most exciting part; when you brush the dew off the petals with your fingers, it smells like lemons! Even though the flower smells very nice, the plant expert told me that the flower is actually bitter and poisonous to my surprise!
