Garden plants for households with children and pets
We recently moved to a new house with a small garden, neat and easy to maintain. We have two young children, and two dogs.
I have very little previous gardening experience. The soil is clay, and the garden is surrounded on all sides by fence or house, so is fairly shady.
I have started trying to identify the plants we have, and discovered that one is (was) a Colchicum; beautiful flowers in Autumn but everything that I read suggests that it is very very deadly.
I panicked, immediately dug up every trace I could find, and threw it in the green bin. I am now paranoid about the rest of the plants in the garden, and wondering what else is potentially going to kill my children. I am thinking of digging up the whole lot and just planting vegetables instead.
Can anyone please give me some advice/suggestions about gardening with young children and pets? Did I overreact? What plants should I be using instead?
Many thanks for your help/comfort.
Posts
I'd say , yes, you did over-react.
I hope you've removed all knives and scissors and any bit of string/ rope/ cord longer than 6" and rounded off all corners.
And don't grow rhubarb, the leaves are also poisonous.
So sad, so many people so frightened of so many things
You'd have to eat some colchicums to die. Who eats colchicums?
In the sticks near Peterborough
Hi Lusule and welcome to the forum. This comes up now and then but is really not worth worrying about. Consider how many people you know whose kids or dogs have been poisoned by their garden plants (none, I'm guessing?) or even how many you've heard about. I had lots of different plants in my garden when my kids and dogs were around and I don't remember them trying to eat anything apart from the stones and soil.
When they're old enough they should be warned not to eat anything they don't recognise but beyond that I should just relax and enjoy the garden!
or rhubarb leaves?
and pad all the fences
I have two little ones and as I have planted a lot of soft fruits, i make sure I don't plant anything with non edible berries for now, just to be on the safe side. Apart from that, i'm not worried about them eating leaves or anything like that.
I hope you find a way to enjoy your garden with your children!
I understand the concern expressed about the possible harm that can come from eating some plants, or the fruits (deadly nightshade for example) or the seeds (laburnum springs to mind since the pods look, to a child, just like peas).
However, planting only edible things in the garden may sound alike a good idea - but all that teaches the child is that all those lovely, ripe red berries - raspberries, strawberries etc are nice to eat. What it doesn't do is teach them to differentiate between the edible, the unpleasant and the toxic. After all, when they visit a friend's garden, the parenting and planting may be somewhat different.
I taught my son only to eat what he knew was OK - ie what he had been taught was safe, and never to eat anything else before checking. Like others' advice, I reckon this philosophy would serve anyone well
When my daughter was very young, we had a small garden full of plants that I now know to be toxic - including laburnum. She and all of her friends have survived the experience. I agree that it is important for children to understand that some plants are toxic. They will be exposed to them outside your garden and need to know that there is a difference.
I have a four year old boy who is learning all about the garden and plants (as I am too, to be honest!). He already knows not to touch certain plants (like the euphorbia) and certainly not to eat berries off anything. A child any younger than that, I wouldn't expect to be in the garden by themselves, anyway, so you can supervise them with the plants.
The only time I have to be extra careful is in autumn when we have two weeks or so of the two large yew trees sprinkling their berries into the garden - the dog is a total dustbin when it comes to anything on the ground, although he won't bother with berries on plants, and so I have to supervise him (and do a daily clear of berries, as much as I can). There's no question of cutting them down though, even if I wanted to, as they are not only huge and beautiful, but also in a conservation area.
The only thing I've insisted on getting rid of was the large and rather deep pond. We looked into grating it, but decided that given the cost and the benefits of having the space for something else, it would be better to fill it in. It only takes a second for a child to lose their step and fall in. We still have a tiny wildlife pond at the bottom of the garden which he HAS fallen into, so it absolutely does happen all the time, even if you think your child is careful!
Just be vigilant and drum into children never to pick up or put things in their mouths without checking with an adult first. All my own children were fine and so were the 63 little ones that I cared for over 24years. Think of your garden as a great learning environment and enjoy it with your children, although I am no longer working from my home I still spend most of the day outside with the children. However do be extra careful if you have a pond, as a child I grew up with a pond in every garden.... .my dad sill has two in his garden now and he is almost 91 and to be honest us 4 children never ever came even near to falling in ....BUT .....it does , sadly happen.
Have a great summer in your garden!