Okay, datura I know is poisonous. Are brugs a form of datura? Are they poisonous if consumed?
I've been very tempted by the flowers, but don't want anything poisonous in my garden (four kids and animals).
-Sev
Newbie question: Poison Brugs?
Brugmansias are in the same family as daturas. They are also just as poisonous. Not to be consumed, and iritating if the juice gets in your eyes or on your skin.
I've had them for 6 years, and have never had a bit of trouble with the juice on my skin or in my eyes, and I have animals all over the place, and never have had a bit of trouble with animals eating the plants.
Kids is a diff story. I don't have any small children.
They belong to the same family. If ingested, Brugmansia leaves can cause hallucinations and were used by shamen in Central and South America. Neither the cats nor the dog seem interested in the plants. Children are a different matter. Only you can decide whether yours will chew on the leaves. My two grew up helping me garden and learned not to eat anything in the garden.
what isn't poisonous and toxic in the garden ...even things we eat are poisonous if we eat the wrong parts ...eg tomatoes ( anything but the tomato itself) potatoes same thing ... rhubarb leaves ...custard apple skins and seeds etc ...I suggest you google toxic plants and you will see we live and survive amongst toxic plants such as sweet peas ,tulips, daffodils and almost every plant in the garden. We must teach the littlies accordingly.
Yeah, I was just hoping to have a wholly edible garden if possible. You bring up a good point though, with the tomatoes and rhubarb - and we can't do without those.
Hum...
Wait, tulips are toxic? I used to eat them!
-Sev
May Princess Tammy have a wonderful last day on the throne.
actually...tomatoes, potatoes and brugmansia are in the same family (solanacae). those leaves are just as toxic as the ones from brugmansia.
animals (that includes 2-legged ones) rarely take more than a single nip because the leaves are extremely bitter.
Hey Rachael! If you start with one Brug you will most definitely have to have more! HA HA HA Did you find out anything on that box? Still nothing here. sigh
Sev, there is not many flowering garden plants that are not poisonous. I bought my first Brugmansia when I was seventeen. I will soon be 45 and I am still here. In my own experience kids are not a problem. We have always had kids in the garden, own and others, but in their world it was fun to watch the impressing flowers, and they were also usefull to run about or hide behind, when playing catch or playing hide. Of course I would recommend that small kids, which havent yet been taught what to, and not to bite in, should be watched when they are around the plants, but older kids that has learned all this is never a problem. Besides the plants tastes grimm and bitter and would be spit out immediately, so no harm is done.
We have both cats and dogs here. Two of each. As kids they are so absorbed with thir own purposes that it never occurs to them to bite in the plants. It is probably more the other way around. Our female dog sometimes dig deep holes in the pots in the quest for new mice, where as the male lifts his leg against anything higher than 1 ft. This includes Brugmansia stems. I taught mine not to do it so often, because of the sweet acidic smell.
Cats presents a problem of another order. Mine love to play catch and to have friendly fights in the top of the bigger trees. It takes them less than a second to climb to the top, but they leave deep cutmarks in the bark with the claws. Also, during the winter we have the pots in closed plastic bags. The cats have access to your wintergarden, but if it weren't for the bags they would use the potting soil as a toilet every other day.
All in all, we have only good experiences with kids and pets around Brugmansia.
Tonny
LOL! Tonny, you've given my first laugh of the day!
Veronica