That Parent Place » Plant Safety

Apr 24 2008

Plant Safety

Published by sirenavs at 2:53 am under Health and Wellness, Safety

With the warm days finally upon us, many gardeners are getting out into their gardens and parents with children are no exception. If your kids are anything like mine, they are already getting ready for the run to the local greenhouse to pick up some annuals and more perennials than I had planned to add.

Planting with kids is a wonderful activity and there is nothing more enjoyable than digging around in the dirt and unearthing worms and creepy crawlies. I think my kids would prefer to leave the flowers out so they could have worm excavating holes but we eventually get the flowers planted. Even with it being such an enjoyable activity, it is important to remember that many plants can be poisonous to people, especially young children.

If you place poisonous plants in your garden, it is important to place them in areas where your children do not have access and to also be the person handling the plant. I have listed below the plants that you should either avoid or handle with care and the part that is considered the most toxic.

Flowering Plants

Oleander: the leaves and branches of this plant are extremely poisonous.
Daffodil: bulbs are the most toxic and can be fatal
Monkshood: the roots
Narcissus: the bulbs and like the daffodil they can be fatal
Lily of the Valley: leaves and flowers
Star of Bethlehem: bulbs
Hyacinth: Bulbs, which can be fatal
Rhododendron: all the parts of the rhododendron is toxic
Foxglove: leaves and it can be fatal
Iris: Underground stems
Rhubarb: leaf blade. Rhubarb leaves can be fatal in large quantities

There are many other plants that are toxic and for more information on those plants, please visit the toxic plant list produced by The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. It is important to teach children to never eat plants and to understand the qualities of the plants that you are placing in your garden. But after you have sorted out plants that are toxic, you can enjoy the bonding experience of growing a well thought out garden.

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