Note To Readers:
In order to understand the playfulness, artistry, creativeness and fun behind these maker projects, please skip down to Section #5 where you will meet the inspiration befind this maker craft set.
Let’s Get Started!
Twenty-six plants of questionable character: thirteen truly dangerous botanical beauties and thirteen respectable herbs implicated in folk magic, protective customs, or witchcraft traditions.
A Notice from the Gardener
Something dreadful has happened in the Simples & Worts herb garden. The gardener has disappeared. Thirteen poisonous plants have taken up residence. Thirteen perfectly respectable herbs have begun conducting suspicious ceremonies. Rosemary remembers everything; sage refuses to speak; and parsley has retained a solicitor.
The Deadly Beauties intend to seize the garden. The Respectable Witches have been summoned to stop them. Unfortunately, nobody can agree on who chairs the committee.
The Creative Rule
REAL botanical identities and carefully qualified historical folklore; INVENTED crimes, ceremonies and comic stories. No claim of supernatural powers. Use illustrations rather than actual poisonous specimens. Never taste, burn, handle, or ingest plants as part of the fictional rituals.
I. The Thirteen Deadly Beauties
No. - Suspect - Statement entered into evidence
1 Aconite / monkshood
Arrived wearing a hood. Nobody asked her to remove it.
2 Belladonna
Was considered a great beauty. Her admirers rarely returned.
3 Castor bean
Insisted she was harmless. The coroner disagreed.
4 Datura
Invited everyone to midnight tea. Nobody remembered attending.
5 Euphorbia
Wept when touched. Her guests developed similar complaints.
6 Foxglove
Was engaged to the physician. The wedding was postponed.
7 Gelsemium
Smiled sweetly at the gate. The gate was locked thereafter.
8 Poison hemlock
Was mistaken for a harmless carrot relative. She encouraged it.
9 English ivy
Entered through the wall. By Thursday, it owned the house.
10 Mountain laurel
Was admired by everyone. Nobody was invited to supper.
11 Mistletoe
Hung above the doorway. Nobody considered it an excuse.
12 Oleander
Was the loveliest guest at the funeral. Again.
13 Water hemlock
Stood beside the stream. The gardener’s boots were nearby.
Safety note:
Toxicity varies by species and route of exposure. Some listed plants are highly poisonous if ingested; euphorbias are noted particularly for irritating sap. English ivy and mistletoe are not equivalent in hazard to water hemlock or aconite. The stories do not describe real symptoms.
II. The Thirteen Respectable Witches
No. - Herb - Folklore thread - Imaginary ritual outcome
1 Rosemary
Remembrance and protection
Recalls every offense. Forgives none.
2 Sage
Purification and protective customs
Banished the spirits; kept the relatives.
3 Thyme
Courage in folklore
Faced its greatest fear: the accounts.
4 Lavender
Rest, fragrance, domestic lore
Slept through its own inquest.
5 Vervain
Magic and counter-witchcraft folklore
Uncast a spell. Reversed the clock.
6 Rue
Protective and anti-witchcraft charms
Protected the house from all visitors.
7 Mugwort
Dream and protective folklore
Asked a spirit a question. Got a recipe.
8 Juniper
Cleansing and protective traditions
Banished the committee. It returned.
9 Yarrow
Love divination customs
Requested a second matrimonial opinion.
10 Basil
Love and good-fortune associations
Became adored. Regretted it.
11 Parsley
Planting superstitions
Blamed the gardener. Hired a solicitor.
12 Elderflower
Elder-tree spirit folklore
Asked the spirits. Was refused.
13 Chamomile
Herbal rest; modern magical lore
Slept through the entire haunting.
History note:
These are broad associations from different eras and regions, not a single ancient “witchcraft system.” Some plants were carried to ward OFF witchcraft. Fictional rituals are writing prompts only. Rue and mugwort have important safety considerations; no consumption or topical use is part of this activity.
III. Maker Workshop: The Cabinet of Botanical Misconduct
Level 1: Pen-and-ink botanical storytelling | 90–120 minutes | Beginner–intermediate
Materials
Ivory 5 × 7-inch Bristol paper; archival fine-point black pens (several widths); pencil and eraser; botanical reference images; black mounting card; printable suspect labels; optional magnifier and black ribbon.
Instructions
1. Choose your suspects. Select one Deadly Beauty and one Respectable Witch.
2. Stage the incident. Invent a dryly funny 20–40-word encounter using a real feature of each plant.
3. Draw the evidence. Use accurate botanical shapes, fine contours, crosshatching and one unsettling detail: a glove, key, teacup or empty chair.
4. File the report. Identify the suspect, alleged offense, accomplice, evidence, and verdict.
5. Exhibit the result. Mount the artwork; assemble an accordion booklet or add it to a community gallery.
Sample Case File
DEPARTMENT OF BOTANICAL MISCONDUCT • CASE 013
Suspect: Rosemary | Offense: Possession of inconvenient memories
Accomplice: Poison hemlock | Evidence: One abandoned gardening glove
Verdict: The matter remains under investigation.
IV. Advanced Maker: The Ghastly Printmaker
After creating an original ink drawing, advanced participants can translate the composition into a drypoint plate. Scratch lines with a drypoint needle into a suitable metal plate, work intaglio ink into the marks, wipe the surface and print with dampened printmaking paper on an intaglio press. Supervised instruction and appropriate sharp-tool precautions are necessary. Drypoint is an intaglio process—not lithography; metal-plate lithography is a separate advanced method.
V. The Gorey Connection: Cape Cod’s Master of the Macabre
Edward Gorey (1925–2000) was an American author, illustrator, and designer celebrated for elaborate pen-and-ink drawings, eccentric settings and perfectly understated dark humor. His 1963 book The Gashlycrumb Tinies turns the familiar alphabet into a parade of highly unfortunate incidents. Our original botanical characters borrow the structural idea of a macabre alphabet, not Gorey’s specific images, verses or characters.
Gorey lived in Yarmouth Port, Cape Cod. His former home is now the Edward Gorey House, at 8 Strawberry Lane, Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts. The museum celebrates his art and legacy; check its website for current exhibitions, hours, events and admission. Its 2026 exhibition, O Sordid Type: Edward Gorey’s Art of Lettering, provides an especially apt connection to our alphabet project.
Edward Gorey House: https://edwardgoreyhouse.org/
Book inspiration: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0151003084/
Independent creative tribute; not affiliated with or endorsed by the Edward Gorey House or estate.
VI. A Notice from the Gardener
The garden will remain closed until further notice. Thirteen plants are known to be dangerous. Thirteen others have been observed conducting ceremonies after dark. Rosemary refuses to forget. Sage requests legal representation. The parsley is quite insufferable. Visitors are advised to bring sketchbooks. — The Management
Sources and Further Reading
Edward Gorey House: edwardgoreyhouse.org (museum and exhibition)
The Gashlycrumb Tinies, Edward Gorey (1963), ISBN 9780151003082 (edition linked above)
Poison Control: poison.org (poisonous plant safety guidance)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cloisters gardens writing on vervain and historical plant lore.
Historical folklore should be checked plant-by-plant before any educational publication makes stronger claims.