It's an asset to your garden. There was a big laburnum tree on our street, where I grew up. All the kids played underneath it, although we were warned not to eat it's seeds! They didn't look very tasty anyway.
There are no recorded child deaths from ingesting laburnum, and it appears to be a mild poison, as poisons go, requiring you to eat quite a lot of seeds in order to get ill. I think the reputation of laburnum stems from it being a very recognisable and conspicuous tree, and therefore easy to remember, rather than it being especially deadly. Probably some erroneous tabloid stories too.
//The MAFF publication ‘Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man’, says that all stories about laburnum causing serious poisoning and death are untraceable.//
Thank you both. I'm still undecided as to its ultimate fate, but reduction does at least leave the option of allowing me to think further on the matter, whereas removal is final.
Indecision has always been a failing of mine. Or has it?
We had a laburnum when I was a child and we were told not to touch it. That didn't stop us. We used to peel the seed pods apart for fun. No one ever got ill, even though we weren't big on washing our hands. The tree was beautiful. If you've ever read 'My Cousin Rachel' you may want to avoid laburnum trees.
that's a fab tree would love one but think my garden's on the small size unfortunately. I am a great believer in leaving things as they are regardless of whether something is deemed poisonous or not. I'm sure most plants would upset you if you took to trying numerous samples of them, but because we are taught not to do that, we know better. Obviously if the tree is dangerous then it has to come out, but otherwise l'd trim it and see what happens. the key is to teach whatever children visit your garden about the dangers but not get too paranoid about everything, after all growing up and messing about in the dirt/fields never did us any harm and we didn't have the anti-bacterial hand washes that everyone uses nowadays, all too frequently if you ask me
Please don't cut it down - the paranoia of children dying on mass from Laburnum seeds goes back to the 1970s. If you'd believe the hype that is - in fact there are NO reports of death or illness from any child, man or beast eating the seeds. As a child, we had a Laburnum tree in our garden and it was wonderful to see the bright yellow cascade of flowers in May and into June. It is one of my favourite trees and every garden should have one or two at least!
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It's an asset to your garden. There was a big laburnum tree on our street, where I grew up. All the kids played underneath it, although we were warned not to eat it's seeds! They didn't look very tasty anyway.
There are no recorded child deaths from ingesting laburnum, and it appears to be a mild poison, as poisons go, requiring you to eat quite a lot of seeds in order to get ill. I think the reputation of laburnum stems from it being a very recognisable and conspicuous tree, and therefore easy to remember, rather than it being especially deadly. Probably some erroneous tabloid stories too.
//The MAFF publication ‘Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man’, says that all stories about laburnum causing serious poisoning and death are untraceable.//
http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/atoz/laburnum_anagyroides.htm
I would prune out diseased/damaged/crossing branches, and leave it at that.
Thank you both. I'm still undecided as to its ultimate fate, but reduction does at least leave the option of allowing me to think further on the matter, whereas removal is final.
Indecision has always been a failing of mine. Or has it?
We had a laburnum when I was a child and we were told not to touch it. That didn't stop us. We used to peel the seed pods apart for fun. No one ever got ill, even though we weren't big on washing our hands. The tree was beautiful. If you've ever read 'My Cousin Rachel' you may want to avoid laburnum trees.
that's a fab tree would love one but think my garden's on the small size unfortunately. I am a great believer in leaving things as they are regardless of whether something is deemed poisonous or not. I'm sure most plants would upset you if you took to trying numerous samples of them, but because we are taught not to do that, we know better. Obviously if the tree is dangerous then it has to come out, but otherwise l'd trim it and see what happens. the key is to teach whatever children visit your garden about the dangers but not get too paranoid about everything, after all growing up and messing about in the dirt/fields never did us any harm and we didn't have the anti-bacterial hand washes that everyone uses nowadays, all too frequently if you ask me
Please don't cut it down - the paranoia of children dying on mass from Laburnum seeds goes back to the 1970s. If you'd believe the hype that is - in fact there are NO reports of death or illness from any child, man or beast eating the seeds. As a child, we had a Laburnum tree in our garden and it was wonderful to see the bright yellow cascade of flowers in May and into June. It is one of my favourite trees and every garden should have one or two at least!