The following version of this poem was used to create this guide: Das Gupta, Sarah. “The Witch’s Garden.” Belladonna’s Garden, https://www.belladonnasgardenlit.com/fall-2025-issue-1/202510the-witchs-garden. Note that all parenthetical citations refer to the line number from which the quotation is taken.

“The Witch’s Garden” is a free-verse poem by English poet Sarah Das Gupta. It was first published in the launch issue of online journal Belladonna’s Garden, likely chosen because it encompasses the journal’s core themes and directly references their name. The belladonna flower directly appears in the poem, presented as a beautiful yet venemous figure. The poet explores a range of traditional “witch’s” plants and imagines the kind of person who would grow and tend to these dangerous allies.