The Burning Of The Royal Gardens

[Antenora]

Rereading the Rare Edition, I noted the note on the Royal Gardens. Evidence suggests that Olaf went there and put his drink on a bench with no coaster(how impolite). The bench was in the Poisonous Pavillion, and was later removed and put in a hotel lobby. And Olaf burned the gardens down.

I wonder why he burnt the gardens. Did the good VFD have something or someone hidden there? Did Olaf take the poisonous plant and how does this connect to Justice's case about a poisonous plant and illegal use of a credit card? Discuss.

[Orangey Snicket]

Welll... it says in another note in the Rare Edition:

"Despite Geraldine Julienne's article in the Daily Punctilio 'No Poisonous Plants Were Removed from Royal Gardens Prior to Deconstruction, Official Fire Department Reports,' I have reason to believe that the poisonous plant Justice Strauss referred to was removed from the Royal Gardens prior to its deconstruction."

So... Count Olaf might have taken that poisonous plant, then wanted to get rid of the rest of the Gardens before people could figure out he took the poisonous plant or for a similar reason. So he burned it, naturally.

But authorities figured this out eventually and landed as Justice Strauss' case.

But there's still a bunch of questions left. Why was the plant so important? And what hotel lobby was the bench put in?

[Antenora]

Some say that the bench ended up in Hotel Denoument; we may find out next book. I can understand why Olaf would want a poisonous plant, but he's never used a plant to poison anyone. And if he just wanted this mysteriously-important plant, why did he burn the gardens? That wouldn't really be necessary, unless the plant was really valuble.

[ineedyourhelp]

bt why would he want to steal a plant? I think there was something hidden in it. It might not even be Poisonous? It coulda been a fake name like the Very Deadly Viper. Since they say it was Poisonous no one would go to it.

[Akbar Le Grey]

maybe the plant had some sort of secret info in it...

[Alchemist]

Maybe there was a nursery in the park. And Count Olaf wanted to steal it, but the caretakers were too watchful. So he stole a person's credit card and used it to purchase the plant. Perhaps it was a mushroom, perhaps he wanted to poison a group of volunteers who have to order mushrooms for some reason. Or it could be that there is a mushroom themed restaurant somewhere. But he finds out that he dropped a note or something in the Gardens. Too lazy to look for it, burns it down.

[Antenora]

It makes sense to me that Olaf stole the plant and then burned down the gardens for two reasons:

1. They were, or could have been, a VFD sanctuary. That was why the bench was moved to Hotel Denoument, the last safe place.

2. To cover up his theft.

About the illegal use of a credit card: It could have belonged to the Baudelaires, and Olaf stole it after burning them. Maybe in the next book we'll find out about this plant.

[Skalu]

What about the poisonous mushrooms in TGG? Could they be that plant?

[Antenora]

That's possible, although mushrooms are technically a fungus. I thought that the mushrooms would grow in the grotto, but maybe Olaf brought them there. And most people consider mushrooms a vegetable, so it's certainly a possibility.

[Alchemist]

Maybe he stole it and cultivated it in a grotto and plans to sneak it into the V.F.D. food supply.

[kjlsnicket29]

It said something also in TBB:RE about the poisonous plant...it was about distractions...and about Esme....and I think Ivy was used inthe Marvelous Marriage..I don't know...

[kjlsnicket29]

And he also had to get the poisonous plant out of the POISONOUS Pavillion...that means it's actually poisonous...

[Antenora]

Lemony lists some flowers with positive symbolic meanings and says that none of them were used in that flower arrangement in The Marvelouse Marriage. Maybe Olaf's henchladies used poisonous flowers stolen from the Royal Gardens in that vase; it's the sort of thing they'd do.

[Cookman]

Or MAYBE the REAL VFD stands for Volunteer Flower Decorators and he's planning a happy flower show to cheer everyone up!

Nah, that's a dumb idea

[Alchemist]

I remember that in The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and co. were in the poppy field and were in grave danger because the poppies would make them sleepy. So maybe the plant in question has poisonous pollen or something.