Brian Whyer wrote,
I saw a recommendation recently to use Eranthis as a spring flower
in lawns, as it was largely over before any mowing was likely. I
have only seen it in grass in very large numbers in Welford Park, in
the Lambourne Valley in the UK
<http://www.worldisround.com/articles/10902/photo66.html>http://www.worldisround.com/articles/10902/photo66.html
Usually it is grown as a light woodland plant and even here it is
largely under mature trees.
But the question is in view of its toxicity, in a domestic
situation, how is it with pets? I would like to try it as it is so
easy to grow from fresh seed but am concerned about dogs bruising
the leaves and cleaning their paws, and maybe later eating the seed
if it is not mown off before it sheds.
Anyone with pets tried it?
There is a great deal of Eranthis in beds and lawns at a local public
garden, Bishop's Close (not American fakery: it was the home of
Portland's Episcopal [Anglican] bishop). I've grown it, though in
lesser quantities, for many years, as well as many other toxic plants
such as colchicum and hellebores, through which my numerous large
dogs have walked all their mostly long lives, and have never observed
any stomach upsets that might be traced to plants. The only thing
they didn't walk on (more than once) is Maihuenia poeppigii, a
mat-forming Patagonian cactus with horrible spines. That said, the
breed I have, Alaskan Malamutes, seems to have very good instincts
about not eating toxic vegetation, even though they're almost as
omnivorous as bears (they gobble berries and dig up carrots, and once
I caught one carrying a ripe pumpkin from the garden to the kennel to
enjoy it in front of his pals).
Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA
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