STICKY WILLY

As a lot more people have been gardening this year, it’s not surprising that “allergies” have become more prolific too.

Some plants are notorious for causing nasty reactions – hogweed and giant hogweed probably being the most common at this time of year.

But there are many other plants that can cause “contact dermatitis” – skin inflammation and burning or itching caused by an irritant or a substance that produces an allergic reaction.

The milky sap of Euphorbia species can be an irritant to bare skin, as can the pernicious weed cleavers or “sticky willy”. You know the one – it sticks to you and your dog – and that’s not to mention the seeds that follow on and wreak havoc with fur.

I pulled so much “sticky willy” out of a client’s border last week I couldn’t resist adding a bit of cow parsley and turning it into a sculptural sheep (see pic)… who says I need to get out more?

One thing a friend suffered badly with, and that always surprised me, is Gypsophila or “Baby’s Breath”.

Used copiously by florists but also a good border filler, it isn’t an irritant while it’s still alive, but when it’s dried it can irritate the eyes, nose, and sinuses, as well as the skin.

It can also cause asthma in people who touch it frequently, such as floral industry employees – as my florist friend found out.

Not surprisingly, many of these plants can also affect our four-legged friends, especially tender areas like eyes and muzzles, and skin if their coat is thin or sparse.

Similarly, some pollens can cause problems too and not just as the familiar hayfever. Last year, my brother was cutting back a large Lavatera (mallow family) and his eyes were incredibly sore later.

We narrowed it down to the pollen particles, which if looked at under a microscope show that the grains are actually barbed.

In insect-pollinated species, the pollen is often sticky or barbed to adhere to the insects, whereas wind-pollinated species usually produce light smooth pollen, which is easily carried by the wind.

Interestingly a lot of the daisy family including the taller ox-eyed daisies, have barbed pollen, as do asters and convolvulus species (bindweed family), so be aware if you are working with them or your dog pushes through any of them.

I absolutely adore and revere nature but let’s face it, it can be disturbing.

You can’t walk through it for more than five minutes without coming across something dead, dying or that has the potential to harm you.