Some plants could cause health problems for some people. Here are a few you might want to think carefully about before planting them or deciding where to plant them.
Wattle or acacia is one that affects many people, when it is flowering, with hay fever. But it doesn’t affect everyone. I can eco-exist quite happily with wattle and even bring it in the house in a vase as cut flowers to no ill effect but I cannot go with ten feet of a crepe myrtle bush, which gives me severe hay fever. This is a shame as they are spectacularly pretty in their pinks and mauves and red shades.
Other plants that can be a problem are tomatoes and peppers. Yes, you did read right, the humble tomato and bell peppers, or as we call them here in Australia capsicum, can send me into frenzy if I brush up against the leaves of the plants. I end up covered in red itchy spots that drive me crazy for hours. Yet, I can eat both tomatoes and bell peppers with no ill effect. So I tend to steer well clear of Mick’s vegetable garden and let him pick the vegetables always, unless it’s the silver beet or beans and they are nowhere near the tomatoes and bell peppers.
Another plant that reacts with some people, and I am one of them is garlic. I can eat it and include it just about every recipe I make, but can’t touch the cloves or my skin reacts and chilies are fatal. Anyone who picks and cuts chilies should wear gloves when they do so.
Washing hands with soap and water is not enough. It doesn’t remove it and can be extremely painful if you then touch your eyes as our son found out years ago with an ornamental chili bush.
So if you have young children an ornamental chili is probably not a good idea as they are attracted to the colorful purple, red and yellow chilies.
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