Secret Garden Dangers

There are many common garden and indoor plants that are grown without most knowing their true dangers.

Toxic saps, giant spikes, irritation and much more.

I do want to make clear I am not a medical professional, just many years of working with most, if not all of these plants at some point, and occasionally feeling their bite.

With that said, let's delve in!

Euphorbia.

Credit - Yates.com.au 

This plant contains a highly toxic sap; thick, sticky, and milky. It can easily cause skin irritation and burning, conjunctivitis or blindness if it gets into the eyes, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting if ingested.

There are also tales of a group of men wandering the desert after getting lost, that gathered and burned the wood of euphobia, not knowing what it was. All went to sleep and none awoke, all killed by the toxic smoke. 

There are around 2000 species of euphorbia worldwide.

Credit - Brisbane plant nursery.

Credit - Better Homes and Gardens

Oleander.

Credit - Wikipedia

This plant can be very pretty, however all parts of this plant can potentially inflict harm, with both quick and delayed affects such as, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, lethargy, and dizziness. Blood pressure an slow/irregular heartbeat. Confusion, vision issues, and many more, potentially including death.

Credit - Gardenia.net

Credit - Amazon

This is a very commonly planted shrub, as it comes in a variety of colours and sizes and is generally pretty easily grown, even on the road side.

Foxglove.

Credit - The Seed Company.

These are sold almost everyday in every nursery or hardware store here in Australia, they are a stunning cottage garden plant, displaying both nice foliage and stunning flower spikes. But all of this plant is toxic, especially to the heart. 

Problems also include difficulties breathing, pulse irregularities, nausea, and in small children, potential death. This is a plant to plant with caution.

Angels Trumpet.

Credit - Pintrest

These are actually stunning plants, with their flowers easily reaching 20cm in length and coming in an array of colours. Both my neighbour and my mum love growing these and they do make a lovely feature. But there is a slight darker side to these plants, especially as they are part of the nightshade family. All parts are highly dangerous and can induce hallucinations, paralysis, tachycardia, memory loss and death.

Angels trumpet... Or Satan's trumpet....

Palm Tree.

Credit - Pinterest

Now admittedly I am not a palm fan, at all. But there are many that do. The reason I don't however, is the spikes. I have spent too many years shifting pots, with gloves and being pierced straight through. These things have been used for hundreds of years by various tribes around the world as hooks for this reason.

Just the other day, I was pierced multiple times by palm fronds whilst moving them, one was swollen by morning and showing sognd of infection by afternoon, and another I had to fish the tip back out my leg as it had snapped off! They can be quite dangerous!

Also, their fronds, some reach quite a length and get very weighty, and when those things drop, you don't want to be beneath it, they are solid.

Agaves.

Credit - Etsy

I used to love these plants and in a way, still do, but its the spikes that, quite literally, get me every time. My very first encounter, I was 17, working at a local nursery, I turned around, and bam. A spike straight below the corner of my eye, missing my eyeball by mere millimetres. The sap, however can also be an irritant, and can cause swelling, redness, and more severe issues.

So always be careful and cautious what you pick to grow in your slice of paradise, it doesn't mean you can't grow them just always know and respect what it is you have. Remember too, if you have come into contact with plants and are showing even signs of reaction please seek medical treatment.