Stay on the safe side in gardens

Many of the plant horror stories we read in the press relate to children so, if your garden is a play area over the long summer holiday it pays to know the plants.

We are all prone to touching or sniffing something in a flower that attracts our attention. Youngsters at a tender age take this a step further by putting it in their mouth.

In the event of anyone feeling unwell after ingesting plant material, take a sample along to A & E with the patient. But above all follow the 17th-century herbalist John Gerrard`s mantra `Appearances are not always to be trusted,` and stay safe.

The most recent plant incident drawn to my attention involved euphorbia, a family with lots of attractive species such as robbiae but also the common annual weed spurge. An acquaintance had been handweeding a flower bed wearing gloves that unfortunately did not cover the wrist. An itch developed, followed by pain and blisters. A search amongst the weed harvest revealed spurge oozing its milky sap.

Painful as these various defence mechanisms are, the most unnerving plant defence of all is the use of poison and judging by the continuous visitor footfall through The Poison Garden at Alnwick, people are eager to identify possibly hazardous plants on their own patch.

Monkshood (aconitum), laburnum and foxglove are often readily identified by visitors on our twenty-minute tours but they`re surprised to find daffodils (narcissi) and snowdrops (Galanthus) in spring. Currently it`s columbine (aquilegia), meadow sweet (filipendula), Solomon`s seal (Polygonatum) and rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus). With over one hundred different plants on display in this special garden and experienced tour guides to hand, why not join a tour and stay on the safe side?