Some flowers are very poisonous; be careful

By Bev Johnson | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, June 28, 2008

Mom, do you let your toddler snack on the plants in your flower bed? No? I didn't think so. However, just in case, here are some plants you both should stay away from.

All parts of daffodils are toxic. Lily of the valley contains a cardiactive toxin as do foxgloves.

Castor bean seeds can be deadly if chewed. The leaves are also toxic but not as much. If you do plant it, cut off the blossoms so it doesn't go to seed. Monkshood, a shade plant, is very hardy and very poisonous. It has very pretty tall blue pink or purple blossoms that look like little hoods or helmets. All parts are dangerously poisonous, particularly the roots.

Datura, an annual with a beautiful trumpet shaped flower is also known as jimson weed, or devil's trumpet. All parts of this plant are highly toxic. The red berries of Jack in the Pulpit can burn the mouth and throat and can result in hospitalization. Delphiniums are another no-no.

There are flowers that can be eaten, usually in a salad or sugared and used as decoration on cakes, or frozen in ice cubes or floated on a drink. Unless the flower has a fragrance, it probably won't have much flavor.

Nasturims have a very peppery flavor, the buds even more so. The leaves are very spicy and can be used instead of pepper. Tulips are crisp and taste like peas. Rose petals need the white spot at the base of the leaf cut off as that part is bitter.

Everyone knows about Johnny jump ups and pansies, but have you thought of tasting your lilacs? Bee Balm is spicy/minty. The leaves are what give Earl Gray tea its special flavor. Marigolds strike some people as tasting like citrus.

Borage, a blue flower, tastes like cucumber. That would make for a pretty sandwich. Anise hyssop is well-named as it does taste like anise, but with a hint of root beer, definitely an odd combination.

Daylily and squash blossoms have been fried by Native Americans and the French. If you grow chives, use the blossoms for onion flavor in your salad. Pretty and tasty, and what kid hasn't sucked the "honey" out of honeysuckle flowers.

If you want sugared flowers, simply whisk up an egg white, dip the flower in it, sprinkle it with super fine sugar and let it dry on a screen. Be sure to cover both sides of the flower. When dry, store in a sealed container in the dark.

The moral of this story is, watch what your kids put in their mouths. Let them nibble on safe flowers.