The Allure of Poisonous Berries

How Come Someone Would Touch or Eat a Poisonous Plant?

The main explanation is that some of them have nice looks. The berries of Deadly Nightshade resemble tiny, deeply purple grapes. Some civilizations refer to them as "Great Cherries" in fact. Berries from pokeweed resemble portable berry sticks. The list is endless, and for someone who isn't aware of the risks involved in wild foraging, it can lead to severe sickness or even death.
It's Not Just About Poison, Either
Although it is classified as toxic rather than dangerous, eating wild salad with poison ivy can induce swelling in the neck, blisters, and a horrible rash. It's not desired or safe wherever you live, even though it probably won't kill you.

From the Backyard to the Wilderness

The flower foxglove is incredibly lovely, with bell-shaped blossoms arranged along long stalks that reach high into the sky. However, it also possesses a secret: it can cause a heart attack. As a matter of fact, Digitalis is the Latin word for Foxglove.

That's also the name of a prescription cardiac medication, the main component of which is made up of substances found in the foxglove plant. A prescription medication has precisely the right amounts of such substances. In nature, that is not the case.

Perhaps It's Time to Try Some Guerrilla Gardening
There are two approaches that we will take to this. One is to recognize and get rid of any plants you may find in places that friends, family, and especially kids and dogs visit. This might be on the sidewalk that leads to your home, in the park where your children enjoy playing, or even in your neighborhood.

Ezoic
Search and destroy is the second strategy. This involves actively inspecting your yard or the area around it and getting rid of any plants that might endanger, if not directly threaten, your family and pets. Along with telling your relatives and friends what you observed in their yards, you should also get their permission to remove and dispose of the plant.

But It Can Become Difficult
WOODS POLICE
Removing plants from your own land is acceptable. It is, after all, your property. Removing plants from land that is owned by a municipality or another person may land you in legal hot water.

You can make a strong case for what you did if you were pulling out some really lethal Deadly Nightshade vines. You may have to spend a lot of time apologizing to the individual who planted the foxgloves or perhaps the police if you are pulling up a stand that they planted.

In actuality, most individuals are unaware of the potential dangers posed by numerous common plants. As we proceed through our list, you'll see that typical garden and yard plants like holly, oleander, and daffodils appear.

Just Some Plants Shouldn't Be Planted
A NURSERY
When you consider how many decorative and hazardous plants nurseries and home centers sell, it begs the question. When you plant a common yew, you are planting a bush that can kill a tiny child due to its leaves and seeds. When you plant lily of the valley, you are adding more poison to your yard.

Then there are the actual killers.
LARGE HOGWEED
Massive Hogweed
While Pokeweed and Deadly Nightshade were mentioned, there are other plants that neither a home center nor a nursery would touch. These are very wild plants that can be found growing in fields and forests all around the world.

We will begin with those and proceed to the ornamentals that are unsafe and you should not grow them. However, if you move into a new house, you could discover some items planted in the yard that require closer inspection and should probably be removed.

We will also discuss the safe removal of the plants and, equally crucial, their disposal. These are the top plants on the list of plants that shouldn't be added to the compost pile.