Your Garden Can Kill You And Your Kids

Spring has finally sprung in the greater Boston area. The perennials are popping their heads up, the fish in our little pond have thawed out, and I'm doing a truly half-assed job of growing plants from seeds (some plastic covers, seeds from last year's marigolds and sunflowers, plus some mystery packets that I've picked up somewhere, and two halogen bulbs in a table lamp).

But just when I thought it was safe to go back in the garden, I stumble across this headline from the Washington Post:

Behind Some Plants' Beauty Lurks Danger

When designing ornamental gardens, homeowners usually think about looking at the plants, not eating them. However, many plants can be poisonous. One of the most common ways young children are poisoned is by eating pretty berries or flowers that look like candy.

Offenders in our garden include azaleas, hollies, and daffodils. Plus we have some aloe in the house.

If you have children, take the safe approach indoors, too. Common houseplants that can have toxic effects include aloe, dieffenbachia, philodendron and calla lily. Also avoid these if you have pets that like to nibble on plants. Some houseplants that are safe to grow are African violets, begonias, spider plants, Swedish ivy, wandering Jew, snake plant, weeping figs, dracaenas and jade plants.

Has your kid ever claimed that rhubarb could kill them? They were right. Plus tomatoes and brussel sprouts (okay, I made that last one up, but it should be true).

And don't think your vegetable garden is exempt from poisonous plants. Eating potato and tomato plants can cause severe stomach and nervous system problems. Rhubarb is probably one of the most dangerous kitchen-garden plants. Its leaf has been responsible for many deaths because people think they can eat it. The only harmless part of rhubarb is the stalk of the leaf.

The article explains that roasting marshmallows will also kill you and all your loved ones--if you nibble the stick from the wrong tree (hint: George Washington was right).

Oleander is a very poisonous and common outdoor plant in the southern United States. Its branches are perfect for cooking hot dogs and marshmallows, and when limbs are pruned and used for this purpose, they kill or sicken people every year.

Happy gardening!