Plants: They can be beautiful. They can be beneficial. But did you know they can also be deadly?

After five years of traveling around the U.S., the dangerous world of Wicked Plants: The Exhibit, a one-of-a-kind experience designed and created by The North Carolina Arboretum, returns to Asheville. The fun, safe and educational way to explore some of nature’s most toxic flora will be on display at the Arboretum’s Baker Exhibit Center from Sept. 20-Jan. 7, 2018.

See Plants in a Whole New Light

The Wicked Plants exhibit provides a comprehensive overview that teaches about botany, health care and wellness in an entertaining, unique setting. Inspired by author Amy Stewart’s best-selling book “Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and other Botanical Atrocities,” Wicked Plants features interactive displays in a Victorian-era “home,” where visitors can travel from room to room to learn about various poisonous plants that may be lurking in the most unexpected places: their homes and backyards.

The Wicked Plants exhibit – sponsored in part by Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty – touches on a side of vegetation that’s rarely revealed. Visitors can feel like they’re part of a crime scene investigation in the potions laboratory; they can experience sniffing stations in the bathroom; and they can take a walk through a simulated graveyard featuring some of the most common deadly and toxic plants around.

Creepy but Cool

Since the exhibit first opened at the Arboretum in 2012, it has gained fans beyond the Asheville area, traveling to museums and science centers across the country including the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Springs Preserve Museum in Las Vegas. Designed to feel a bit creepy, Wicked Plants creates an environment particularly engaging to children, making it easy for families to learn about bloodcurdling botany together.

Beyond its standard daytime exhibit hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wicked Plants will offer special extended hours during the Arboretum’s fourth annual Winter Lights nightly holiday light show (Nov. 17–Dec. 31) for all Winter Lights ticket holders. For more information on Wicked Plants, please visit www.ncarboretum.org. Exhibit admission to Wicked Plants is free; standard Arboretum parking fees ($14 per standard vehicle for non-members) apply.

In conjunction with the exhibit’s return, the Arboretum will host a special reading and book signing by Amy Stewart on Sept. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m., in the Arboretum’s Education Center. Tickets are $10 for Arboretum members and $12 for non-members and must be purchased in advance at ncarboretum.org. Parking is included in the ticket price.

The North Carolina Arboretum is located off the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 393. From I-26, take Exit 33 and follow Blue Ridge Parkway signs for 2 miles to the entrance ramp.

For more information on living in our area or on Asheville real estate, contact Mike Figura at Mike@MyMosaicRealty.com or call him anytime at 828-337-8190.