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poisonous plants and kids
I?m having a bit of a freak-out here. Our yard contains various posoinous plants as most yards probably contain, and some of them we planted and some we didn?t. We have lots of yews in our yard, and unfortunately most of them have beautiful red berries. I understand that as long as my child doesn?t chew the seed in the berries, she?ll be ok. And the lady at the nursery assured me that most kids try just one, and she?s never heard of children being poisoned by them. Ok. We?ll have to deal with that.
But, we have monkshead (aconitum) which is extrememly poisonous and is easily absorbed through the skin. We also have delphinium which are in the same family and slightly less-poisonous. So do I rip the monkshead and delphinium out or leave them and watch my child like a hawk? We also have Hellabores planted in a bed near DD?s play area.
Thoughts, suggestions appreciated!
Re: poisonous plants and kids
That's a tough call, and I've been debating about the same thing while planning the garden at our new house.
Luckily DD never seemed interested in eating any of the plants in our old yard (accept for the strawberries). This time I've decided that I'm not going to plant any eatables until the kids are older to avoid the chance of confusion. Also anything potentially toxic goes near the back of the flower beds.
If you're going to worry, then I'd tear stuff out. I'd be scared of the monkshead. Peace of mind is more valuable than plants, and your yard should be a relaxing place for you too! Or you could put up mini fences or boarders to make them harder to get to. Lastly, teach your DD not to eat anything off of a plant unless an adult picks it and hands it to her.
If something does happen, she'll learn fast. One of my earliest memories is of having an itchy mouth from eating Elephant Ears leaves. Never did THAT again!