In article ,
Spider wrote:

Indeed. I think it's quite common. I used to have a very irritable
rash after pruning an old juniper. Once I was aware of it, I wore
gauntlets or long sleeves. Haven't noticed a problem with Yew yet, even
though that is very toxic.

Toxic and irritant aren't the same! Yew isn't as toxic as all that,
despite Shakespearean myth.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 16/12/2012 14:27, wrote:
In ,
wrote:

Indeed. I think it's quite common. I used to have a very irritable
rash after pruning an old juniper. Once I was aware of it, I wore
gauntlets or long sleeves. Haven't noticed a problem with Yew yet, even
though that is very toxic.

Toxic and irritant aren't the same! Yew isn't as toxic as all that,
despite Shakespearean myth.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.



No, you're right, Nick, strictly speaking anyway. However, I often find
that plants which are toxic are skin irritants for me, ie: ivy and the
prunus laurel tribe, to mention only two.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay