Beautiful Poisonous Flowering Bulbs
by Traute Klein, biogardener
The most beautiful spring flowers are poisonous, including flowering bulbs. Learn to recognize them so that they won't make you sick.
Spring!
Today is the first day of spring, my favorite season. Here in Winnipeg, we still have snow on the ground, but in my native Germany, spring starts much earlier. I wonder if you can see signs of life under the snow where you live.
Today I am going to tell you about the first spring flowers, flowering bulbs. They are the world's most beautiful flowers, but there is something you need to know about them so you don't get sick. They are poisonous.
I am going to show you photos of the most common poisonous bulbs so that you will be able to recognize them.
First Signs of Life
In Germany, the snowdrop pokes its pointed leaves through the snow as early as the end of January.
In the Canadian prairies, the blue scilla is the first touch of color in our gardens, but that does not happen until April. I also have some white scilla and some which are white with light blue stripes.
Tulips
Onions are bulbs, and we eat onions. I therefore thought that I should be able to eat tulips. So once I ate the juicy seedpod of a tulip, and I won't eat another one, because it gave me a terrible burning throat.
Hyacinths
My mother never let us bring hyacinths into the house, because their strong perfume can give people headaches.
Daffodils
In Germany, the daffodil is called Osterglocke. That means "Easter bell." When you look at the flower, you can see the bell in the centre. Daffodils are not only poisonous to people and animals, they are even poisonous to other plants. When you place them in a bouquet of flowers, the other flowers will wilt. So if you give your mom daffodils for Easter, keep them in a vase by themselves.
Narcissus
The white narcissus is one of the most beautiful flowers on earth, but I can only grow it indoors here. The bulb does not like our cold winters. The flower has a very strong perfume which can make people sick.
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