Deleted
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Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2013 17:04:24 GMT -5
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2013 20:22:21 GMT -5
Many popular landscaping plants are toxic, some severely so. So many in fact, that it's no wonder people are taught not to eat anything that doesn't either come from a grocery store or look just like something that does. When everything growing closest to your house can kill you, who would experiment? How many of these are within 500 yards of your front door?
I must admit, the sheer volume of hemlock that pops up around my house every spring is the primary reason I still spray 2,4d on the lawn once a year, though I try to keep it as far as possible from the garden. The good thing is that most toxic plants are exceedingly bitter, to the point that most humans and animals will spit out the first bite. There are exceptions of course; obviously the dog in the story linked above either cared more about chewing than flavor or was inbred so far from its wild roots that it didn't realize "tastes bad" meant "don't eat me". And my store had a customer a couple of years ago who wanted us to pay for her pony, which died after eating lantanas she bought from us and planted near the stable. But so many highly toxic plants are so ubiquitous that I think it best to just be aware of what's close to you and take precautions as necessary. Educate your kids, protect your own pets. If your neighbors let theirs run wild and they choose to chew on your landscaping, then that's their fault.
The file I've attached is a more inclusive list.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on May 14, 2013 9:24:54 GMT -5
Where I live, virtually every yard has sago palms! Also, lots of people have oleanders, lantana is frequently planted, and the invasive Lantana camara pops up everywhere. Angel's Trumpet is in a lot of flower gardens, too. These plants are ubiquitous because they thrive in our poor sandy soil with little or no care. Not to mention all of the other toxic weeds and landscape plants. Even if I got rid of my own sagos, I couldn't get rid of all the toxic plants in my neighborhood. All I can do is train my kids not to eat any plant unless I give it to them, or have shown them that plant and told them it is safe. When they are too little to be trusted to obey, they have to be watched. I do agree that it's smart to keep the highly toxic plants out of the play area in case you're distracted for a minute, though. If I had a dog, I'd probably keep poisonous plants out of the dog's play area, too. Dogs can be stupid about chewing on things, especially young dogs. But if I lived in a place where dogs were allowed to roam and if I chose to let my dog roam, I'd just have to accept the risk that something could happen to the dog. Still, it's important to know which plants in your yard are toxic, so you don't accidentally kill yourself by burning oleanders in your yard trash!
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Post by kctomato on May 14, 2013 10:08:19 GMT -5
Plants, giving alligators a run for their money in Florida
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Post by Laura_in_FL on May 15, 2013 0:34:36 GMT -5
Oh, yeah - there are definitely some bad places to swim in Florida! But there is no such thing as a completely safe place to live. All you can do is pick a place that has hazards you can accept. I'd rather live here than in Tornado Alley, along a major earthquake fault, or some place with -40 winters. I am sure plenty of people like those places, but can't deal with the notion of living somewhere with hurricanes and alligators.
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