The Toxic Plants

The Toxic Plants

I have been trying to up my game in the garden. After a whole life of killing plants right and left and mostly within a week of getting them, I have finally started to have some success. Perhaps I am retaining the knowledge better, which seems odd, as I have now hit a point in my life where I forget most things. Perhaps I have just found the right containers and soil. I’ve been adding eggshells and coffee grounds! Perhaps I am talking to them more, and they like that. I said perhaps. Okay, fine, I am talking to them more. They are excellent listeners and I read that plants actually do better when people talk to them. I can do that!

Now because of my moderate success growing herbs and tiny tomatoes (I am still a failure at larger tomatoes - baby steps), I am interested in all kinds of plants. On a recent trip to Montreal, my husband and I spent hours at the botanical garden. In addition to a stunning rose garden, japanese garden, and alpine garden, they had a section called “Useful Plants,” which consisted of different edible things like quinoa. I had never seen a live quinoa plant before, so that was interesting. They also had medicinal plants and my favorite, toxic plants. Huge signs warned visitors about entering a courtyard FILLED with tons of things that sting, itch, and make you sneeze. We kept jokingly reaching out like we would touch something, but I remained cautious. It would be just like me to accidentally trip and fall into the massive display of poison oak. We survived.

But now I am educated. More edamame and thai basil, and less, say, oleander. I feel pretty close to having this whole gardening thing nailed.