Hubby’s blooms were deadly

Jamie Borthwick • Published 24 Aug 2010 10:00

A HUSBAND was left shocked when he discovered the plants he ordered for his wife were among the most deadly in the world.

Andy Cooper, 57, bought the flowering bushes for his green-fingered spouse after seeing them advertised.

But not only did the gift have the potential to put him firmly in the doghouse, the consequences could have been far more serious.

Andy told the Reporter: “It was good deal - £19.99 for five plants - so I ordered them and later on checked online to see how to tend to them.

“I couldn’t believe it when I discovered it is one of the most deadly plants in the world.

“Thousands of people die every year from ingesting the plant - that is scary stuff for a garden plant.”

The Oleander - which is native to Mediterranean countries - can be extremely dangerous if mishandled and is consistently named in the top 10 most dangerous species of plant by sources such as Livescience.com and Colorado State University.

Gardenbargains.com, which sold Andy the plants, denies that there are no toxicity warnings on its adverts.

Oleander contains numerous toxic compounds, many of which are deadly to people.

Consuming it causes severe gastro-intestinal and cardiac effects - the heart may slow down and beat erratically with no sign of a specific rhythm.

A spokeswoman for Gardenbargains.com told the Reporter that Mr Cooper placed his order on June 5 this year, and that toxicity warnings had been put on all its Oleander adverts from May 24, after complaints from the public.

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This article appeared in Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Reporter 24 Aug 10

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