How poisonous are these seeds? They do seem to get everywhere. Would I
be
best off getting rid of the tree?

(Obviously she isn't left to wander around the garden by herself, but she
does like shoving things in her mouth.)

ROSIE

At the end of the day, it is your decision as to whether or not to remove
poisonous plants from your own garden.

When I was a childminder, I was not allowed to have anything poisonous in my
garden. The fact I watched minded children like a hawk was beside the
point! Social Services provided childminders with a list of recognised
poisonous plants.

I don't childmind any more but still have young children of my own. I kill
off the nightshade that grows thro my fence from force of habit and having
paranoia drummed into me as a child as to "how terribly poisonous" this was.
But I don't worry about anything else - foxgloves grow quite happily in one
corner. I have a laurel tree overhanging the garden and it dumps it's
berries on my lawn annually. The kids know that they are not allowed to
even touch any berries of any kind without my permission. Until they were
old enough to understand that, they were supervised pretty closely anyway.
In fact if I even mention the word poisonous now, they steer well clear of
such things. The problem comes when I have a friend's child over and they
don't understand these things.

I grew up having a reasonable knowledge of and respect for what was and
wasn't poisonous - and therefore what is and isn't edible! I teach my kids
the same. Obviously, they could do anything the moment your back is turned
and you know your own child best. Because I now use all sorts of berries,
leaves and herbs from the wild for wine, jam and general cooking, they also
learn from me about the safety of plants. And there's nothing like picking
rosehips with your kids and introducing them to the itching powder effect of
the hairs inside the fruit!

I understand that apple leaves are poisonous to a degree and removed one of
those from my baby son's mouth once (that baby is now 9). But then he also
had a liking for woodlice.............

I belong to the Alan Titchmarsh school of thought that it is better to
educate children about the dangers of plants rather than remove them
altogether.

Vicky

In article , Vicky
writes
I belong to the Alan Titchmarsh school of thought that it is better to
educate children about the dangers of plants rather than remove them
altogether.

Exactly . . . if you cocoon them when they are little, they don't stand
a chance when they become independent adults (
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason, put ransoms
at jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see

How poisonous are these seeds? They do seem to get everywhere. Would I
be
best off getting rid of the tree?

No.

(Obviously she isn't left to wander around the garden by herself, but
she
does like shoving things in her mouth.)

It's your job to make sure she doesn't!


I had an acquaintance once who gave very definite answers like yours when it
came to the subject of controlling/teaching children. Both he and his wife
were in their 50's so knew right from wrong and what children should do and
what they should not do.
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
He and his wife had no children :-))

Mike

--
H.M.S.Newfoundland Association Reunion Hayling Island April 23rd - 26th
Royal Naval Reunion Eastbourne May 7th - 10th
H.M.S.Collingwood Association Reunion Bracklesham Bay May 21st - 24th
Nat.Service (RAF) Assoc. Cosford Parade / Social Weekend 25th - 28th June

In article ,
says...
In article , Vicky
writes
I belong to the Alan Titchmarsh school of thought that it is better to
educate children about the dangers of plants rather than remove them
altogether.

Exactly . . . if you cocoon them when they are little, they don't stand
a chance when they become independent adults (

Unfortunately children's self-control is erratic. You can teach them
facts, and you can test them afterwards to make sure those facts are
learned. Then they do whatever it was that you know they knew better
than, and you ask them why, and they have no idea why they did it! And
they *still* remember perfectly well you telling them not to, and why!!!

I even remember one time at about 4 or 5 years old I was sitting on my
bed with a pair of scissors, which my parents trusted me with to cut out
paper shapes. I'd been using scissors safely for at least two years so
they didn't think I needed supervising any more. I'd run out of ideas
for paper shapes, and I watched with horrified fascination as my hand
gathered up some bedcover and the other hand started cutting a shape out
of it. There's no question but that I knew it was wrong, but equally no
stopping my exciting activity.

And how did I explain it to my mother who came in just before the shape
was completely cut out? "I couldn't help it" was my lame-sounding but
true excuse.

Thanks for all the advice and wise words.

I think I will keep the tree. I agree that educating my daughter not to eat
anything in the garden is the best approach. So far her main gardening
activity is digging up worms and snails and 'cuddling' them.

(She is always supervised in the garden and whilst of course it is 'my job'
to do that, one does occasionally get distracted by the odd weed that needs
tending...)

Thanks for advice and thoughts!
ROSIE

"Rosie" wrote in message
...
I have a toddler and a medium-sized laburnum tree at the back of my
garden,
which seems to produce a lot of seeds.

How poisonous are these seeds? They do seem to get everywhere. Would I
be
best off getting rid of the tree?

(Obviously she isn't left to wander around the garden by herself, but she
does like shoving things in her mouth.)

ROSIE

Seems a shame to get rid of the tree, children grow up quite quickly it
won't be long until warnings to not do things are effective. As to how
poisonous, when young my friend ate loads of them and there was mass panic
he was rushed off to hospital but on arrival sent home (having been sick)
and his mum told "not to worry" he would be fine we were around 3 at a guess
(and yes I just sat there and watched him do it! - I had been told not to
:~)
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 22:03:25 +0100, "Rosie" said:

] I have a toddler and a medium-sized laburnum tree at the back of my garden,
] which seems to produce a lot of seeds.
]
] How poisonous are these seeds? They do seem to get everywhere. Would I be
] best off getting rid of the tree?
]
] (Obviously she isn't left to wander around the garden by herself, but she
] does like shoving things in her mouth.)
]
] ROSIE
]
]

Rosie,

Read the replies with interest. Just worth noting that Laburnum seeds are also
a choking hazard. A friend's little girl ended in hospital with one lodged in her
throat. (She's fine now.)

We have kids 5 and 7, and Laburnum. They're pretty good about learning what
not to do, safety-wise, so we have (knock on wood) had no problems. That said
as has been pointed out no child is completely reliable! Seems to me life is full
of hazards, Laburnum is less serious than some...

HTH

-E
--
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

Rosie,like most have said it would be a shame to fell the tree.I am not
going to get on my high horse and tell you how to look after your own
children ,I have two and know what a handful & how unpredictable they can
be.Sometimes how many times do you find yourself saying no to a child they
drive you up the wall,and will do things anyway!Someone has said that you
should not allow small child to wander a garden alone,what do you call
small,I have a son he is just walking,I would not let him wander alone,but I
have a 3 1/2 year old daughter who I would allow.Why don`t you plant shrubs
& perennials around the tree making a border so the berries & tree can not
be accessed by kids.You can`t follow kids 24/7 and need piece of mind that
your kids can not do harm to themselves if you turn your back!After all the
garden is supposed to be a place for relaxation & you can`t do that if you
are constantly worrying & following them about.

Thanks Keith,UK.
"Emery Davis" wrote in message
. ..
On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 22:03:25 +0100, "Rosie" said:

] I have a toddler and a medium-sized laburnum tree at the back of my
garden,
] which seems to produce a lot of seeds.
]
] How poisonous are these seeds? They do seem to get everywhere. Would I
be
] best off getting rid of the tree?
]
] (Obviously she isn't left to wander around the garden by herself, but
she
] does like shoving things in her mouth.)
]
] ROSIE
]
]

Rosie,

Read the replies with interest. Just worth noting that Laburnum seeds are
also
a choking hazard. A friend's little girl ended in hospital with one
lodged in her
throat. (She's fine now.)

We have kids 5 and 7, and Laburnum. They're pretty good about learning
what
not to do, safety-wise, so we have (knock on wood) had no problems. That
said
as has been pointed out no child is completely reliable! Seems to me life
is full
of hazards, Laburnum is less serious than some...

HTH

-E
--
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

The message
from "Mike" contains these words:

How poisonous are these seeds? They do seem to get everywhere.
Would I be best off getting rid of the tree?

No.

(Obviously she isn't left to wander around the garden by herself,
but she does like shoving things in her mouth.)

It's your job to make sure she doesn't!

I had an acquaintance once who gave very definite answers like yours when it
came to the subject of controlling/teaching children. Both he and his wife
were in their 50's so knew right from wrong and what children should do and
what they should not do.

He and his wife had no children :-))

Well, the difference there would be that I not only had a laburnum tree
in my garden, I also have five children and thirteen grandchildren!

None of them ever attempted to eat laburnum seeds or pods, because
I *made it my job* to educate them as to what was dangerous in the
garden, and what was not!

--
AnneJ
ICQ #:- 119531282

With very very few exceptions all poisonous plant material has a more than
terrible taste. More than enough to deter any child. Many years ago, as
students, we were encouraged to taste minute portions.To avoid having their
parts eaten, this has been part of plants' evolution. The fruit of the Yew
is an exception. Its red fleshy outside is very pleasant, and harmless, but
the encased seed is very poisonous and easily swallowed.
More lightly~~ Some years ago my wife was baby sitting the
grandchildren. The young g.daughter was playing on the lounge floor and her
[little older] brother lounging on the sofa.
He noticed that his sister had picked up a brown half eaten apple and was
about to eat it. " Don't put that in your mouth, you don't know where its
been" he bossily said. A few minutes later she looked up at her brother who
was reading while sucking his thumb. "Don't put your thumb in your mouth,
you Do know where it's been"!! she reproved.
At that age they were 'lovely enough to eat'. Now as teenagers I
sometimes wish we had done so!! Not really.
Best Wishes.

"Rosie" wrote in message
...
I have a toddler and a medium-sized laburnum tree at the back of my
garden,
which seems to produce a lot of seeds.

How poisonous are these seeds? They do seem to get everywhere. Would I
be
best off getting rid of the tree?

(Obviously she isn't left to wander around the garden by herself, but she
does like shoving things in her mouth.)

ROSIE

Well, the difference there would be that I not only had a laburnum tree
in my garden, I also have five children and thirteen grandchildren!

None of them ever attempted to eat laburnum seeds or pods, because
I *made it my job* to educate them as to what was dangerous in the
garden, and what was not!

--
AnneJ
ICQ #:- 119531282

In that case, as you are so experienced, possibly more than anyone on this
newsgroup and certainly more than me, I have only had four children and one
grandchild, then you could have been a little more helpful and constructive
in your posting. Your posting was very curt and on the lines of Baraclough
of past. Are you by any chance a Traffic Warden in your spare time?

Mike

Rosie17/4/04 10:19
Thanks for all the advice and wise words.

I think I will keep the tree. I agree that educating my daughter not to eat
anything in the garden is the best approach. So far her main gardening
activity is digging up worms and snails and 'cuddling' them.

(She is always supervised in the garden and whilst of course it is 'my job'
to do that, one does occasionally get distracted by the odd weed that needs
tending...)

Thanks for advice and thoughts!
ROSIE


I think keeping the tree is the better option, Rosie. You could, of course,
get rid of it but you really can't keep her from *everything* and learning
at home is much, much the best lesson. And to be honest, accidents with
children happen so fast that a moment's inattention can lead to anything in
or out of the home - all 3 of mine nearly drowned once when
the-person-in-charge turned away from the sea to drag their towels etc. up
the beach and out of swamping range.
Our grand daughter is the adventurous type and our house being Victorian,
the banisters aren't the regulation 'safety distance' apart. We have a
'gallery' staircase and twice within 30 minutes of her arriving to stay here
for a long period, I found her upstairs, with her body between the balusters
and one foot hanging over the edge - clinging on only by her two very small
hands. I must say that my nerve failed me at that point and we put clematis
trellis all the way up and round the stairs. It looked most peculiar but it
cut down on my Valium sandwiches. The kickback on this is that in her own
home she started playing about on the stairs a few weeks back, fell down
about 6 steps and had a greenstick fracture. In our house she'd have broken
her neck.
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)

At that age they were 'lovely enough to eat'. Now as teenagers I
sometimes wish we had done so!! Not really.

My middle daughter is a career woman and as such has no interest in children
and really doesn't like them at all. Whenever she is asked 'Don't you like
children?' she always answers "Oh yes, but I could never eat a whole one"

Mike

A fairly recent advert in one of the Cornish papers advertised for sale an
'Alsatian, eats anything, very fond of children'! But then they also
advertised a 'Tractor with 5 ton wench' and mentioned a local retired
colonel as a 'Bottle scarred veteran' ~~ Later corrected as 'Battle scared
veteran'!!
And to think we were talking about Laburnums?!! As for children it does
depend on how they were cooked!!
Best Wishes
"Mike" wrote in message
...


At that age they were 'lovely enough to eat'. Now as teenagers I
sometimes wish we had done so!! Not really.

My middle daughter is a career woman and as such has no interest in
children
and really doesn't like them at all. Whenever she is asked 'Don't you like
children?' she always answers "Oh yes, but I could never eat a whole one"

Mike

As for children it does
depend on how they were cooked!!

Fried or Boiled?