Beautiful, but poisonous plants that should not be planted in the garden if you have children and animals

We often choose plants for our garden for their decorative qualities. However, some of them, despite their external beauty, can be very poisonous. Before planting a new plant in your garden, ask about its characteristics, especially if your family has animals and small children.

Lily of the valley

Beautiful, but poisonous plants that should not be planted in the garden if you have children and animals

An early spring flower, the medicinal properties of which are used in medicine for cardiovascular diseases. However, if plant parts enter the human or animal body, this can lead to arrhythmias and disruption of the gastrointestinal tract.

Leaves are especially toxic. It is not recommended to pick lily of the valley flowers, not only because they are listed in the Red Book. A beautiful flower with an incredibly rich smell can be deadly indoors.

Voronets

Beautiful, but poisonous plants that should not be planted in the garden if you have children and animals

A popular plant for decorating gardens, it is very unpretentious, but it has a rather unpleasant smell. It can reach a height of 80 cm. Small flowers are shown on it in May or June.

After flowering, black oblong fruits are formed, which are very toxic. In general, all parts of the Voronets are poisonous, but the berries are the highest concentration. If swallowed, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and poor breathing may occur.

Aconite

Beautiful, but poisonous plants that should not be planted in the garden if you have children and animals

It has flowers of a beautiful and original shape. However, in all parts of the plant there are poisonous substances, if they enter the body, poisoning can occur up to the cessation of breathing, heart and convulsions. Causes skin burns.

If aconite grows in your area, gloves should always be worn when caring for it. Sometimes it is enough to touch the flower with an unprotected hand and then accidentally touch the lips to receive a dose of toxins.

Many studies suggest that this plant is the most poisonous on the territory of the European continent. It has many varieties in color and shape. In the southern regions, the plant contains the maximum amount of poison, but, for example, in Norway it can serve as feed for cows.

Delphinium

Beautiful, but poisonous plants that should not be planted in the garden if you have children and animals

A beautifully flowering bright plant, very often used by gardeners to decorate the garden. However, it is also poisonous. Most species of delphinium accumulate toxins in fruits and roots, in smaller doses, their content – in leaves and stems.

When ingested, it causes depression of the central nervous system, poisoning in the digestive tract and disorders of the heart. A large dose of poison can cause respiratory paralysis and death.

Milkweed

Beautiful, but poisonous plants that should not be planted in the garden if you have children and animals

It has more than 1600 species of annuals and perennials, which are united by the presence of poisonous milk-colored sap in the stems.

Milkweed juice has long been used as a remedy in Greece, Rome and Egypt. They were cauterized with warts, applied to calluses and treated for many skin diseases. It has also been used as a diaphoretic, diuretic, and laxative.

If parts of milkweed are ingested, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and headache may occur. The first symptoms may appear after 10-12 hours: first, there will be manifestations from the gastrointestinal tract, and then a general deterioration in the condition, a decrease in pressure, and a rapid heartbeat.

If you do not provide assistance in time, convulsions and loss of consciousness may follow. Special care should be taken by people prone to allergies. Upon contact with milkweed juice, they may develop an instant reaction – Quincke’s edema, which is fatal.

When planning to supplement your garden with a new plant, it is useful to study its properties and characteristics in order to protect yourself and your family from possible problems. It is not difficult to do this, especially since there are many equally beautiful, but absolutely safe plants.

Anna Evans

Author-editor

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