Deadly nightshade

How to recognise it

Growth habit

Sturdy, branched, shrub-like plant, 0.5–1.5 m tall, that regrows every year from a thick rootstock.

Leaves

Oval, untoothed, 8–20 cm, dull green. Near the top the leaves often come in unequal pairs: one large and one small leaf side by side.

Flowers

Single, drooping bells of 2.5–3 cm in the leaf axils, brownish purple with a greenish-yellow inside; June to August.

Fruit

Shiny black berry of 1–1.5 cm, the size of a cherry, sitting on a green calyx with five spreading lobes. Ripe from August to October.

Roots

A thick, fleshy rootstock with roots that go deep into the soil.

Look-alikes

The berries resemble cherries or bilberries, but bilberry is a low dwarf shrub and cherries hang in clusters on long stalks. Bittersweet is a scrambling nightshade with purple flowers and red berries; black nightshade is low-growing, with small white flowers and clusters of small black berries.

Flowering: June–August · Pruning: March

Why grow it?

• A fairly rare native plant of chalky woodland: giving it a place in a large wildlife garden helps a characteristic woodland species.
• The bell-shaped flowers are visited by bumblebees and other bees.
• Some birds eat the berries and so spread the seeds.
• A long flowering season from June to August, followed by glossy berries into autumn.
• A plant with a rich history in mythology, art and science: interesting for a fenced-off educational garden.

Deadly nightshade: where does it grow best?

• In the wild: felled areas, clearings and edges of beech and mixed deciduous woods, mainly on chalky loam.
• In the garden: half shade or sun, ideally with its base in some shade.
• Fertile, loose, moisture-retentive soil, neutral to chalky; no waterlogging.
• Only in a fenced-off spot that children and pets cannot reach, well away from the vegetable patch and play lawn.

Goes well with

• Nettle-leaved bellflower: Violet-blue bells on the same chalky woodland edge.
• Hedge woundwort: Flowers at the same time in half shade and is popular with bumblebees.
• Stinking hellebore: Evergreen and flowering in winter; also poisonous, so grow them together in a fenced-off corner.
• Hazel: Gives the light shade that deadly nightshade looks for on a woodland edge.

Deadly nightshade: when and how to plant it?

1. Think carefully first: only grow deadly nightshade in a garden without small children or pets that nibble plants.
2. Buy a plant from a specialist native plant nursery. Never dig up plants from the wild: deadly nightshade is rare.
3. Plant in April or in September–October, 60–80 cm apart, in a generous hole with some leaf mould.
4. You can sow in autumn in a pot outdoors: the seed needs a cold period and germinates slowly and unevenly.
5. Water during dry spells in the first year and always wear gloves when planting.

Care

Watering

After the first year only during long dry spells; the deep roots find their own moisture.

Feeding

A layer of leaf mould in spring is enough.

Support

In a windy spot the heavy plant can flop open; a few canes help.

Berries

Cut off faded flowers and young berries if children might come near after all.

Gloves

Wear gloves for any work on the plant, wash your hands afterwards and do not rub your eyes.

Tip: Mainly want to get to know deadly nightshade? Look at it in a botanic garden or in the wild; in a family garden a safe plant is always the better choice.

Pruning and mowing

Pruning months: March.

When: In March, before the new shoots appear.

How:

• Leave the dead stems standing over winter: they give shelter to insects.
• Cut them off just above the ground in March.
• Dispose of the cuttings where no animals can reach them, for example in the green waste bin or a closed compost bin.

Caution: Wear gloves: the stems and leaves are poisonous too.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow in autumn in a pot outdoors (wearing gloves). It germinates after winter, often unevenly; flowering usually starts in the second year.

Division

Older plants dislike being moved because of their deep roots, and division rarely succeeds. Seed is the best method.

Deadly nightshade: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• The top growth dies back after the first frosts; the rootstock survives the winter underground.
• Hardy to about −20 °C; in waterlogged soil the roots can rot in winter.
• Leave the dead stems until March as shelter for insects.

Diseases and pests

• Risk of poisoning: The main problem: the sweetish berries tempt children. Do not plant it where children play and remove berries when needed.
• Flea beetles: Tiny jumping beetles make small holes in the leaves, especially in dry weather. The plant usually grows through it; watering in dry spells helps.
• Slugs: They eat young shoots in spring. The plant usually recovers quickly.
• Root rot: On wet, heavy soil the rootstock rots in winter. Choose a well-drained spot.

Through the year

• March: Cut back old stems (wearing gloves).
• April: New shoots. Planting time.
• May: Rapid growth. Add support if needed.
• June: First flowers: brownish-purple bells.
• July: Full flower; bumblebees on the flowers.
• August: Last flowers and first black berries.
• September: Ripe berries. Cut them off if children come nearby. Planting time.
• October: Sow in a pot outdoors.
• November: The top growth dies back.
• December: Dormant. Leave the dead stems standing.

Did you know?

• The name Atropa refers to Atropos, the Greek Fate who cut the thread of life.
• ‘Belladonna’ is Italian for ‘beautiful lady’: in the Renaissance women are said to have dropped juice from the plant into their eyes to get large, dark pupils.
• The substance atropine is named after this plant.