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Archives for December 2006

Shop at my store?

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I don’t know if my visitors have noticed, but about a month ago I placed a link to my new Amazon store in the side bar on the right. It’s labeled- Gifts, Gadgets, Books and More!. I was hoping that my visitors might click on the link every now and then when you are in the mood to shop online.

You’d be helping me out a lot if you would make a purchase at my Amazon store. I mean, only if you were going to shop at Amazon anyway of course. As of Monday I’ll have been off work due to illness for one year. I still have a job of course. I’m an emergency room nurse, but I’ve been sick for so long that I’m not receiving any sick pay or any kind of money any more. So you’d be helping me out a great deal if you would make a purchase through Amazon as I get a small commission on any items sold through my links.

Oh I also have a link a little bit below that for Amazon Gift Certificates. If you have trouble buying the perfect gift for your friends, relatives or loved ones then a gift certificate where they might by any item of their choice might be ideal.

Thank you in advance if you are so kind as to help me out by buying a gift or something for the holidays through my Amazon store link.






Do you talk to other gardeners in Chat rooms?

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I was just wondering how many of you have discovered Gardenweb.com? I found the site back in 2001 when I was doing research on how we could landscape our backyard, and put in raised beds to create the garden that we have now.

In that first year, to year and a half period I spent a lot of time in the various forums trying to figure out how to do things, and what plants would work for my garden and garden location. I think it was the rose forum that I hung out in most often.

I just found another type of chatroom over at pictari.com where you could meet up with people, perhaps ones that you’ve talked to often over on gardenweb and chat in real time mode. It’s easy to use- just register or sign in and create a profile and then go into the chat areas.

That’s the one thing that I find lacking over at gardenweb. They don’t have any chat rooms for gardeners to get together and talk.

Have any of you found garden related chat rooms on the internet? If you have please leave me a comment and tell me about them.

Your home and toxic houseplants

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Have you ever thought about, or wondered as to how many house plants that are currently in your home would be unsafe if eaten by a child, pet or even an adult? Not that adults are going around eating leaves off houseplants- but either way, some of the plants we have in our home are toxic and often the plant owner doesn’t realize just how dangerous they could be.

I’ve compiled a list of plants that have toxic properties. I’m not advocating removing them from your home- just that you be aware of which plants are toxic and what kinds of symptoms they can cause. Any plants in your home that are known to be toxic should be placed well out of reach of small children or house pets.

Members of the Araceae family

These plants contain needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate that penetrate and irritate tissues of the mouth and throat. Chemicals in their sap, such as asparagine, a protein, also can cause inflammation of mucous membranes. Plants in this family include dieffenbachia, philodendron, caladium, and elephant’s ear. Symptoms of poisoning from dieffenbachia are intense burning and irritation of the mouth, tongue, and lips. Although rare, if the reaction is severe enough, the swelling can seal off the breathing passages. Philodendron, caladium, and elephant’s ear produce the same types of symptoms when ingested. If a piece of the corm, the underground stem, is eaten, symptoms are a fiery burning of the mouth and throat. Jack-in-the-pulpit is a native member to watch in this family.

Members of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge) family

Most members of the spurge family have a milky sap this is acrid and toxic. This sap can cause dermatitis in some people and poisoning if eaten by someone who is allergic to the chemicals in the sap. Members of this family include the crown-of-thorns, the pencil tree also know as the milk bush, poinsettia, and snow-on-the-mountain. Snow-on-the-mountain can cause blisters and skin burns.

It is appropriate to note here the debate about the poinsettia. The original warnings on this plant were from a report in 1919 on a child who died in Hawaii where poinsettia is used as an outdoor ornamental. However, laboratory tests have NOT confirmed the toxicity of the plant when ingested. Poison control centers receive many reports each year of ingestion of poinsettia, but only occasional abdominal pain and nausea have been documented.

Members of the Solanaceae family

These plants contain solanine, a poisonous glycoalkaloid, that is extremely toxic even in small amounts. Jerusalem cherry is an ornamental in this family. Eating its berries cause symptoms ranging from headaches and stomach pains to shock and paralysis of the circulatory and respiratory systems. However, not all members of the Solanaceae family are toxic; for example, tomatoes and peppers.

Now that you are aware of possible dangers with certain houseplants, you can take steps to ensure the safety of others around these lovely plants. Try using hanging baskets, high shelves, or window boxes to keep plants away from children. You don’t need to stop displaying the plants mentioned above, just do so carefully.

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