In your garden, which of the following has resulted in the biggest injury?

growin, I had thought about your previous mentions of neighbours' sabotage and was wondering if you'd still had the problem. . . Well, those people aren't worth dirt, but am so grateful for all your contributions here. Your perseverance is inspiring. I wish you the best!

nifty413, I've run out of perseverance. Time for a new, clean, fresh start. Lynch mobbing is an aweful thing to live through. I look forward to healing and gardening without problems.

Growin, that is really scary and I don't blame you a bit for taking action, even though you shouldn't have to go to those extremes. People don't realize the problems created by pesticides and herbicdes. I'm sure you all read about the family in the Virgin Islands that was vacationing this past week and exposed to methyl bromide.

Poison ivy on 1/4 of my body. Needed cortisone shots and pills and over a month of topical treatment. Got to love the woods!

For poison ivy, try TechNu scrub. It's amazingly effective. Stops the itch, pain, etc, and dries up the rash. I keep it on hand all the time now just in case.

You can also buy a barrier product now, something you apply beforehand whenever you think poison ivy exposure is likely. I think the one I have is called Ivy Block. Although I've used Technu a number of times and swear by it, I've not yet had occasion to use the Ivy Block and thus cannot say for sure how well it works; however, it has received good reviews online.

JulieQ,

I have poison ivy problems, too! I've needed to have the cortisone shot twice (and probably could've used it a couple other times). The last time I'd been digging somewhere in the winter and hadn't noticed a tiny little poison ivy vine. The time before that, a family member (not allergic) had been pulling the stuff, washed their hands, and dried them on a towel which I later used. That time was the worst. I have also developed an allergy to English ivy. If I'm exposed to any poison ivy, it becomes a systemic reaction within an hour or so. It's really scary. I would need a hazmat suit if I felt like weeding it.

I told a buddy about this thread and the comments about injury etc., and she reminded me about the time her sis burned trash and the oils from burning poison ivy vines got in her eyes and throat ( via the smoke ) she was a mess and seriously ill.

5-foot tall blue agaves are a great security plant when planted under windows. The thorns on there put rose bushes to shame. If a thief tries to gain access to your house through the windows, the agaves will catch him and hold him there until the police arrives. The thorns will also rip ugly gashes in your leg if you walk by and don't give them a wide berth. And the end of each leaf is equipped with a very pointy needle. I cut those off to prevent eye injuries. I love my blue agaves, but I must respect them, too.

Sylvain.

A guy who was doing work in my yard got caught up in an especially thorny landscape rose, the type that spreads along low to the ground with a mass of thorny branches. The thing just seemed to reach out and grab him as he walked by. The more he struggled to get free, the more tightly trapped he became. By the time I arrived to cut him out, it had him by the - very sensitive area. He yelled and screamed the whole time I was trying to [gingerly] cut him free. I KNOW it wasn't supposed to be funny, but it kind of was.

This is not about me, but my husband. He decided to cut down my Agave plant (8 feet tall) while I was gone one day. I get this frantic call from him " Is that Agave poisonous?" I asked why, and he repeated the question. He had gotten the chain saw out, and began sawing the limbs off of it, which threw the sap back on him. He had second degree burns over almost all of his body. You could see just where his underwear was, and he couldn't put pants on for a week. I think that was an unusual reaction, but he certainly won't go near another Agave.

Thorns ,, The loose branches , sharp seeds , things that scratch scar the old bod , You all know ,,

Some years more than others; I am allergic to mosquito bites. I don't know if it is just the tiger striped mosquito, but I have seen it bite me and had a swelling larger than a goose egg from it. I always get sick when I get bit and have that huge swelling, but the Army doctors say that it is just something to take benadryl for. I'm not allergic to bee stings or poison ivy yet ^_^
I haven't been snake bit yet, though I have tried to weed them from my gardens thinking they were pieces of trash. Very lucky!

I can't believe there is no way to vote for "toxic plant". For me it was not agave sap, but some kind of Euphorbia I planted. It had spread 10 feet in all directions from one little plant in just one summer, so I decided to rip it out. It spread by runners and I uprooted them all. The sap got on my hands, and I touched my face. It was caustic, and I had deep burns. I kind of felt like the guy from the movie "The Gods Must be Crazy". I bet that was a Euphorbia too.

Johnny just got back from the emergency room . Changing the line on his weed eater , the metal chair broke , finger trapped , broken finger , nail will be lost , already loose from matrix . Poor baby , he had to drive himself to emergency room . Good news , pain meds is Narco . He will sleep a lot the next few days .

I said thorns, but I think my worst injury came from many days of digging with a weed digger, getting blisters on top of blisters, and then they got infected.

You all realize , reading through these ,, I get the feeling , people who like, only looking , at the gardens ,, Really may know something ,!!!

Only I am addicted , to planting plants ,, I just can't help it !!!

My most serious mishap happened 5 years ago after I had watered my perennial bed and turned to walk down a slight incline toward the house. My foot slipped on the wet grass, folded under me, and my weight landed on the turned-in foot, breaking several bones including my fibula and ankle. The result was plates and screws to hold the broken bones together. I threw away those worn slick sneakers! Now I wear shoes with good traction when gardening and doing yard work.

With most polls, I just read a few here and there, but I've been reading all of this one. I had no idea how incredibly lucky I've been so far. Sometimes I sit on this really rickety, old plastic chair out back that is badly weakened by years in the sun; I know it is going to fall under my weight one day. Thinking maybe I should toss it now to avoid that injury. Years ago after my knee surgery (fix, not replace), I fell a number of times, having not yet regained the muscle strength for good balance, but was always lucky enough to land gently and on a bed of soft grass. Reading all of your accounts makes me feel bad for your injuries and exceedingly thankful for whatever force has kept me from a similar fate - so far.

I may never view the garden the same again after reading all of this stuff.

I wear tall style UGGS.
I had to justify the cost in my mind...
But the things are indestructible. Cool in summer ( never would believe that )
Warm in winter
Comfortable
Pull on and take off easily
A rap on the side of a fence cleans 'em
A spray inside keeps ticks out
And really really important to me...a sanke would have a hard time reaching me through that tough hide and internal fur.

OK, now I have to tell you what happened to my DH a few years ago. He slipped on the ramp to the garden shed after it rained: he broke his left fibula. Since then he has reinforced the fir strips across it so it won't be quite as slippery. It was a bit of undesired garden justice since I had been complaining but not doing anything about it for years.

I marked "other" because "falling off wall" was not on the list. I had been planting marigolds in a raised plant bed (2 ft at shortest and 4 ft at tallest), I forgot I was in the raised bed and stepped back to see how the plants looked from a distance.

I happened to be at the 4ft high end. I fell, straight backwards, and landed on left side of my back and rib area. Fractured my scapula and broke several ribs (front and back of the ribs).

I also found out that the saying of "bounced when I hit the ground", is not an urban myth. I *did* bounce. I remember feeling hitting the ground, raising up and hitting the ground again - like a ball bounce on a floor.

Had my first nose bleed given to me by the pointed leaves of a Spanish Dagger (Yucca torreyi). I was trimming the dead off it when I fell forward a bit. The thing went up my nose and got me. I have never bled so much. I know I'm not graceful but, sometimes I think it's got it out for me. I've had it poke me in the butt when walking by and I'm not that close to it!

Oh Jax that one is remarkable! Yikes. I read that when moving a Yucca you should put corks on the tips.
Oh. I just remembered- I slipped on a mossy "Landscape Tie" once at a place I rented. I fell and had a minor vertebral chip fracture from landing on the edge of it. I won't use those landscape ties here in this climate, they all get too slippery.

Sue...I can truly imagine the seconds of free fall ....when you know you just got to go with it......

Sue, been there, done that. I slipped on the steps of our deck one morning while going out with the dogs. I hit on the corner of the step on my sacral bone, and cracked it, as well as hitting the back of my calves on another step. I had a huge bruise on the back of each of my legs. But, I "bounced" back onto my feet after I hit.

Fire Ants!!!!!! These little devils are good at hiding anywhere in the yard...their bite is fierce & causes bumps, etc to come out in a few hours!! They are not toxic but hurt all the same!!!!! They are really hard to get rid of too!!!!!

Got some remedies here .
get rid of those plastic chairs .A leg broke with me and the pointed end of the leg stabbed me in the behind about two inches deep . No doctor , took two months to heal .
Nail roofing tabs to ramps and steps . My right foot slid forward and left leg was folded uphill behind me . Could have broken a hip .
Cut the tips off those Yucca and Agave plants . Won't hurt them and much safer .
Bengal is the only thing that has 100% kill for fire ants .Use as directed . I had five hills four years ago and it killed them , not just moved them over . Had none since .
Do it and you won't be sorry later.

This message was edited Apr 13, 2015 10:30 AM

Thanks for the rec on Bengal, digger. We've used Amdro and Over-and-Out (together and separately) with some success, but we have a lot of acres for them to pop up. If I am successful in keeping them out of an acre or so around the house, I'm happy.

Funny thing, if we have an armadillo, we don't have fire ants. I don't know which is worse...I'm thinking the armadillo after last years experience with the destruction in one of my shrub beds before we finally trapped it and destroyed it.

I agree with you about those plastic chairs. We don't have any but I've seen several accidents happen.

We were standing by the bamboo that has become quite lovely after all, and discussing where to put something to sit on, when a stream of yellowjackets came roaring out of a hole nearby. I looked down as I ran, and saw some of them on the front of my thick sweater just wishing they could get at me. I tore it off over my head as I continued to run to the house where I quickly got rid of the rest of the clothes that could have brought some of the demons inside. I realized my poor husband was not close behind me, nor could I see him out of the windows. I was too scared to go out, imagining a cloud of them surrounding the house. He had decided to stay and fight, killing many but they got him good!! A trip to the ER was in order. I learned later that yellowjackets release a pheromone as they die to summon reinforcements from the hive. In this case, retreat had been the better part of valour.

So many garden mishaps, and a few laughs too.

I hope everyone has or will heal up from their garden misadventures.

A couple of things that I was thinking about.

Yellow Jackets and wasps can sting more than once. Unlike the bees, which die after stinging, the yellow jackets and wasps can sting repeatedly.

Carrielamont, what happened to your hapless assistants?

Missingrosie, I love to wear my uggs, the good ones do last forever, and you can replace the insole when you wear them out. But I just can't get out of them fast, when they get invaded by ants. I end up jumping out of my shoes at least once a week because of ants.

Thanks for all the great photos and stories, not to mention the great advice on everything from footwear to ant eradication.

WIB~

SW

A bee can only sting once , but the bag of poison will keep pumping venom into the stinger.
Bengal can't be bought in all states . If you can't get it , find someone to ship it to you .

The thing about a bee is -- it has a sense that when it stings, it eviscerates itself. The end. And so it takes a lot to cause a sting .....those wasps have no such instinct. Rotten things.

SW - I have never had a problem with ants. I have also not had a tick bite ( I am a magnet for ticks and in our area ...it is a significant problem .. ). I spray the outsideof the UGGS and the tops on the inside fur a few inches in with Cutters insect spray. I guess that is it because I still get bit everywhere else...THOUGH my clothes too. I am covered head to toe no matter the temperature..it doesn't seem to matter.

This message was edited Apr 14, 2015 11:45 AM

You need a bee suit, missingrosie! I am so glad that we don't have a tick problem here, on our farm. DH is a beekeeper, and I am always telling people to scrape the bee stinger instead of plucking at it. We do have cocktails, which are grass seeds that work their way into the fur of both animals and hugs. Can cause huge vet bills because the foxtails seem to crawl into eyes and ears and other vulnerable parts of the body. The nose on our dogs are especially vulnerable. Foxtails are already appearing this year. Time to get my dogs hair cut.

Thanks for the info on the Bengal, digger. :-)

WIB~
SW

I have only had two wasp stings. Never a bee. Lots of mosquitos and ticks..and each gives me gum ball sized drippy bite inflammations. I may consider that bee suit! So the foxtails are grass seed? We have many beekeepers here in Orange county.... ( Burts Bees the soap/ cosmetics business got started right here) with a nation wide distribution as well as a healthy business supplying the farm to table restaurants. The plight of the honeybee is very worrisome on so many levels. We are indebted to folks like your husband.

Aww, I'll tell him that you said so.

We use Burts Bee products. :-)

You should check out the thread I started in the Hummingbird and Butterfly Forum. Lots of stuff about pollinators on that thread.

If you do get a bee suit, get the kind with the hood/veil attached with a zipper closure. DH duct tapes the bottom of his suit to his boots to keep the bees from crawling up his pant legs. Gloves are treated with duct tape too.

Good luck in your garden!:-)

WIB~
SW

Thanks!

One question..on a 1-10 scale...are the suits hot to garden in?

yes you could not actually garden in one, I have used one to get rid of a nest of ground bees in my yard. In NC you might be able to use one in early spring.

DH and our crew wear them in temps over 100 degrees, but they are careful about staying hydrated. Since the suits are made of a heavy duty white colored cotton fabric, they do breathe and they do repel some heat. I would recommend doing your gardening early in the day while it is still cool. My kids wear them while weedwhacking, tree trimming and plowing. Sadly, they don't pull weeds for me, so I am not sure about how hard that would be.

I guess you will have to determine your own comfort level and decide whether you'd rather be cooler, or protected from bugs.

WIB~
SW

Well that is more hopeful. I would not need it except for gardening. Our summers here in NC are hot and humid ..sometimes considerably sticky. I always wear a sleeveless tank-style tee...a long sleeved sun repellent shirt over that.. Knee socks under long thick exercise style jersey pants.. Big cotton bloomers- granny style to the armpits..😝a neck bandana and a hat - tall UGGS and gloves. I never feel hot and I don't piddle...I dig and carry and haul... I am always teased because it can be 95 and I have a shawl wrap on outdoors. I never sweat either. So maybe it ( the bee suit ) is do-able. Becaue it would be a lifesaver. Regardless of all those layers AND Cutters Spray..at an amount that I fear will kill me....I will come in from the garden with bites on the tush and back and everywhere. I don't get it. i am all tucked in and what sort of sucking creature could go through those layers? Once I stepped onto the .screened porch...opened the door for less than a minute and pointed at something to my husband ...a mosquito bit my finger!! If I walk the grandkids out to the car...next morning my legs are a mess. We do have mosquitos her in the Piedmont of NC --but not like other areas ( I lived in Fort Lauderdale and dusk there was horrid - and comparing that -- we don't have it as bad) but NOBODY get bit like me on our property.

This message was edited Apr 20, 2015 9:30 AM