IN THE GARDEN: Poisonous plants; pollination push

Venomous snakes and spiders aren’t the only things to be mindful of when outdoors. Some flowers and plants can be poisonous to people and pets. Here are a few found in our area to be aware of:

Foxglove—Foxglove Digitalis purpurea is a beautiful trumpet flower that comes in white, pink, purple, and yellow. ALL parts of the plant are extremely poisonous to humans and pets, even cats with their many liver lobes. Yes, the scientific binomial might look familiar. The heart medicine digitalis derives from foxglove.

Oleander—Although its majestic size is appealing with rich colors ranging from white, copper, red, and yellow, when consumed, oleander is toxic to humans and pets alike. Oleander poisoning can work within hours. Symptoms include irregular heartbeat, confusion, weakness, hives, or difficulty breathing.

Poison hemlock—Poison Hemlock Conium maculatum can grow 6-10 feet tall. If you see a VERY tall plant with purple streaks or blotches on its green stalk, with little white flowers arranged in an umbrella-shaped cluster, BEWARE. 

The moral of the story is to treat unknown plants with respect. Confirm that the emergency numbers you have in your phone and by your phone are up to date.

POLLINATION PUSH

Would you like to help your flowers become vegetables and fruits? Does it seem like the bees and pollinators are everywhere except in your garden? 

Here are several options to aid in pollination:

First, you can play “I’ll Be There” by The Jackson 5 to lure the pollinators. Or, you can sit in your garden reading sonnets aloud such as “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” by William Shakespeare. Are you smiling? 

The fastest way is with a small paintbrush or Q-tip.

First, if the blooms on your plants are already spent, save this column for fall vegetables or next year. Some plants that hand pollinating is great for are beans, cucumbers, eggplants, melons, peas, peppers, pumpkins, strawberries, tomatoes, and zucchini.  

If you are going to hand-pollinate several different types of plants or different types of vegetables (for instance, Roma tomatoes versus beef steak tomatoes) you will want to either clean your paintbrush (dip it in alcohol and air dry) before moving on to the next plant or switch cotton-tip swabs. The vegetables we listed above are self-pollinating, this means the flower has both the male and female parts. 

With your Q-tip or paintbrush, you want to gently knock the pollen down into the middle of the flower. There you go. You have now increased your harvest.

Till next time. Keep your souls and soles in your garden! Remember the True Master Gardener: Jesus said, “I am the vine; my Father is the Gardener.” John 15:1 

“In the Garden” is written by father-daughter gardening team Bill and Martelle Luedecke. If you have any gardening questions, contact Martelle at 512-769-3179 or luedeckephotography@gmail.com or Bill at bill@texasland.net.