I stopped telling them,they just
would say ok I'll let someone know.
(guess the gray hair makes them think I might know something.) I too will get this at walmart as well
as home Depot.When I was working as a cashier at HD
in the garden dept I would always tell the customer
if the plant was poisonous or just ask them if they
had small children or pets,
(at home unable to walk have been this way
for over a month)

Blueangel

When big box retailers buy plants they most often buy assorted blocks of plants - a mixture that is not under their control, like '4 inch tropicals' or 'indoor foliage' or as you saw 'high light indoor tropical'. The staff has no clue what is in the shipment.

I have camped all over this nation and in all the campgrounds or parks where oleander grew I have only seen ONE sign that informed people how poisonous this plant is. ONE!! It is used as a street plant or park plant throughout the south from the east coast to the west coast but there is only one park on the shore of Lake Meade that warns people.

I believe I heard that the urban myth about poinsettias being poisonous (they're inedible but not poisonous) was based on a case where a small boy died after eating a leaf off of a plant in Hawaii. He also ate Philodendron and Oleander. One drop of oleander sap can kill over a hundred people.

Wow, I had no idea about Oleander as it's not been on my "desired" list for my garden. I'm still learning a lot here and tend to research as something strikes my fancy. I did know about Philodendron and banned it from my home 20 years ago. I always have several dogs and don't need the complications of worrying about them getting into something. I also have heard the myth about poinsettias and this is honestly the first time I have heard it was a myth. I banned it too 20 years ago because of my dogs. Maybe I should consider re-instating it as an acceptiable plant in my home. They are beautiful during the holidays. :-)

Wow!!! I do think it is irresponsible. It's scary to me because for the most part you're combining novice gardeners with clueless salespeople and it really could equal disaster. Especially when you see the plant in bloom, it's so beautiful that who wouldn't want to buy one??

I'd say something. Even if it falls on deaf ears, I'd say something. Who knows someone in line could overhear and pass along the information. Who knows, you may actually encounter a clerk who is responsible. Actually, I'd probably either call or write a letter to that Wal-mart and let them know.

Holy Cow!! John, I knew they were poisonous, but I didn't realize to that extent!! Yikes.

Check out the list below. It really limits what you will plant if you are super careful. Some of the plants listed cause skin problems, but only for certain people, just like poison ivy. However, it is worthwhile to scan this list as it is a NC based one. Telling the store will not help much, just as telling vendors about invasives. They really don't want to hear it. Guess it is up to the consumer? That's why education and good teachers are SO important! But that's another topic.

Here is a link that might be useful: Poisonous plants

Does anyone have a list of the really poisonous plants?

With that list, you have to look at each item to only find out it's mildly toxic if eaten.
I will continue to plant baptista, for instance, but not oleander or foxglove.

So what ARE the plants to truly avoid? Am I missing something?

All this is somewhat ironic as my woods and some of my beds are overrun with poison ivy.

That was a superior list from ncrescue's link above. The photos will enlarge for easier identification of leaves,flowers and berries.

We just got back from Hilton Head and as hubby drove I told him,"Honey, before you admire those nice green shrubs in the median with the gorgeous flowers and think we should have some..forget it. It's oleander,incredibly poisonous and on the list of banned landscape plants for our neighborhood."

Oleander is used so extensively as commercial landscape plants at hotels and townhouse complexes in the Deep South you'd think there'd be more newspaper stories of poisoned kids and pets.

It is a buyer beware world out there. It always has been although maybe not as suspect previously. Although I do find it irresponsible not to label plants that are really poisonous, I also find it irresponsible to plant something in your yard which you don't have the facts on. That goes double if you have small children or pets that will inevitably find their way into your garden.

But how many deaths are there from poisonous plants? I have a book on poisonous plants, and it's unbelievable how many otherwise desirable plants are in there. I can't imagine gardening without some of them.

I designed the landscape for our church and pre-school. After researching toxic or poisonous plants, the list was rather short for readily available plants. Top of the list for no-no was Azalea, but "everybody has Azaleas in the South". The question asked most often of me was, "How many of the children are really going to grab a bush and eat the leaves or flowers?" The answer came as I was watching the children after services, bored while mom and dad were yakking, grab a leaf off the nearest bush and start chewing it. Luckily it was Rosemary so it was OK, so the answer (wish I had a video camera) is a resounding YES. The church leaders thought I was daft and never did put my plan in place. They now have acres of grass that the commercial landscapers apply pesticides and herbicides to to keep it looking nice. After all, grass is not listed on the toxic plant list, is it?

Nancy the nancedar

I have some poisonous plants in my yard too. I'm not condemning their use. I'm just saying that ultimately it is the responsibility of the home owner to know what they are putting in their yard. The main concern of Wally World is to sell things. They don't care if it is poisonous, invasive, or has other undesirable characteristics. You see the same thing in a lot of nurseries as well. And if you know the behavior of the plant or that it causes illness or death if ingested and are prepared to keep it in check that is one thing. Just plopping something in your yard because it is pretty without knowing anything about it however is what I am pointing at as being irresponsible.

Appreciate your feedback. I did send an email to Walmart corporate. Don't know if it will help but it did make me feel better.

To Blueangel- sending my prayers and best wishes to you. Keep the faith.

There are actually many problems going on at the same time here. First there many many plants that contain chemicals that cause some sort of problem for humans, in fact almost all plants use chemicals as a form of defense and humans can be sensitive to just about anything. Secondly, allergic reactions cannot be predicted. You can be NOT allergic to something most of your life and then suddenly be profoundly allergic to it,, out of the blue, with no warning and for no reason. Science hasn't figured out all there is to know about allergic reactions. They just recently figured out everything there is to know about poison ivy and most of what they found flies in the face of what most of us were told growing up. (like: you cannot remove the oil from your skin. Once the poison ivy chemicals penetrate your skin they change into proteins, they aren't oils anymore, they don't go anywhere, they won't move, they cannot be drawn out of the skin by anything, you're stuck with them for the next 10 to 15 days while your body reacts or over reacts to them as an invading protein. Some people's skin start this process within a few minutes of exposure while other people have up to 30 minutes where they might be able to wash off the plants chemicals and diminish the reaction.) And the third problem is that once one person claims that a plant is toxic and publishes it somewhere that information gets spread far and wide. Even reputable sources will miss-state the facts. It can be really hard to un-do the damage. The goal should be to have accurate information but that would involve everybody working hard and sharing their information. Most people find it easier to just repeat what they have heard even if it is wrong.

Like the info I just shared about poison ivy. It was told to me by county nurses doing a workshop on how to protect yourself when working outdoors in like 1998 or 1999. All sorts of stuff could have been learned by now but I haven't kept up on it because I do not suffer badly with poison ivy (if it is warm outside, I have poison ivy rash on my body, but it doesn't drive me crazy). SO even that information may not be current anymore. And when you have companies like TecNu develping products to control poison ivy rash and offering information that leads people to believe they can control their bodies reaction to it (like their soap that is supposed to pull the plants oils out of your skin) it only delays the flow of truth. Not that I hate TecNu, thank god somebody somewhere is working on this problem. But they have to sell their soaps so they promote them with false claims. The truth is there is very little you can do about poison ivy rashes once you have them - but that info doesn't sell product. Boy I went off topic -- what I meant to point out is that there are plants on the toxic plant lists that pose hardly any danger and there are very dangerous plants that never show up on the lists.

Nancy I'm sorry to hear that the church never used your plan. What a bummer. :(

The best thing you can do if exposed to poison ivy is to rinse your skin as soon as possible. You don't even need soap, straight water will do.

John - Thats a common occurrence in the medical field. I've seen the CPR protocol change a few times and it is getting ready to change again. I'm not even going to get into the rocket science behind that one. And remember how when we got scrapes and cuts it was either peroxide or alcohol? Turns out that both actually kill skin tissue and increase the chances of scaring. I could go on that same soapbox easily. Diet pills, SPF 50 sunscreen, oxy-clean, on and on...

A prednisone taper works wonders with severe poison ivy. I've only had to use it once -- when I was recording birdsong and slipped and slid down a hill covered in poison ivy. And I was wearing shorts. No chance to get to a shower quick enough either. I had a horrible rash all over.

Steroid creams work well for smaller rashes. You have to get it by prescription and use only a tiny amount -- usually only once -- but it works wonders.

Ouch? Sounds like a few "adventures" I have been on with my camera. Only without the poison ivy part. I've been all in it and never got it. My daughter however has emergency room type reactions to it. She has only been in it twice but both times were so severe that her face and eyes were swollen shut and she ended up developing a secondary staph infection. That is a wicked combination to say the least.

Oh no, that sounds terrible. The poor girl must have been miserable.

Maybe I think it is "Much Ado About Nothing" because I grew up in South Texas where Oleanders are common plants. As a matter of fact, one of my most favorite places to hide and keep cool as a small child was a large bed of white and pink oleanders on the size of my parents house. We didn't live in fear of them, we just didn't eat them (or put them in our mouths). We kept plenty of critters and it seems they all had the good sense not to put them in their mouths also. We didn't get all excited about the sap either. When we were finished with the pruning (which seemed to be several times a year), my Daddy just told us "Y'all wash up good now". Could it be that my simple parents raised a passle of kids that they taught "If its not food, don't put it in your mouth"?

"Could it be that my simple parents raised a passle of kids that they taught "If its not food, don't put it in your mouth"?"

Indeed.