Rose Thorn Disease and Other Gardening Dangers

Safe Garden Practices to Ward Against Skin Irritations and More

Aug 12, 2009
Lorraine Syratt

Rose Thorn can Cause Rose Thorn Infection - Lorraine Syratt

Gardening is a pastime more and more people are enjoying. But gardeners often forget about safety and the reason for gardening gloves.

The flowers may be beautiful and the scents glorious, but gardeners should beware of some plants they add to their gardens and especially how they handle them. Throughout history, plants have been used to heal, but many have been used to kill. Beware of their beguiling scents and learn what dangers lurk within their petaled facades.

Poisonous Flowers in the Kitchen

Some favorite garden plants can actually be lethal if swallowed. In this age when creative cooks are adding the petals of roses, pansies and lavender to their cakes and salads, not every garden flower can be used that way. It's important to do a little research before adding a little poison to the larder.

While cases of persons being poisoned by digesting plants are rare, cases of reported skin irritations from handling certain plants occur fairly frequently.

Dangerous Flowers in the Garden

If the gardener has sensitive skin or skin prone to allergic reactions to organic substances, she may want to think twice before adding the following lovely plants to her garden. Some can cause severe skin reactions with just a touch and those skin problems can return again and again throughout her life.

Some examples of these plants are also some of the most beautiful and common garden flowers. If the gardener is prone to skin infections, it's advisable she wear gloves and be well-covered when working with these plants. The bottom four listed can be lethal if swallowed.

Chrysanthemum
Spurge
California poppy
common ivy
Morning glory
Iris
Juniper
Privet
Lobelia
Cedars
Tulips
Lily of the valley
Foxgloves
Laburnum

Rose Thorn Disease

There are other dangers in the garden, one in particular from the queen of garden plants – the rose. A prick from the thorn of the rose can lead to a fungal infection that can take weeks to clear up. The rose thorn infection is called sophorix shenckii, but is generally known as rose thorn disease and sometimes simply rose thorn infection.

It's a truly nasty one as the fungus can create an open seeping wound where it pricked the gardener. It could give the victim an eye infection, move through her lymphatic and nervous systems and even into her bones. It could cause death. Cases of this severity are rare, however. Most people infected by a rose thorn experience a skin infection only.

Roses are prickly must-haves for the garden, but it's advisable to wear leather garden gloves and long sleeves when working with this plant.

Soil Bacteria

There are other reasons why gardeners should always wear gloves when toiling in the soil. When the gardener is digging, planting, pulling weeds, pruning and hand cultivating, she is putting a lot of wear and tear on her hands. She may even have minute little cuts she's unaware of and those cuts quickly fill with dirt.

Bacteria of all sorts live naturally in the soil and that bacteria can enter those little open wounds causing not just a skin irritation, but a deadly bacterial infection. While most gardeners prefer to work with bare hands, it's not a good practice.

Although very rare, there have been cases of gardeners contracting pneumonia from working with garden soil. Some garden or potting soils release dust particles into the air and can be inhaled. It's certainly a garden danger, but masks aren't necessary due to its rarity. Consider gardening on less windy days.

With smart decisions before taking up a garden spade, gardeners will have a safe and beautiful garden. Gardeners just need to be aware of its possible dangers and garden with safety and care.