non poisonous garden plants suggestions please

[Firsttimer7259]

My dd is very disabled and will probably never learn not to eat random plants. We are moving to a house with a garden soon and I want to create a totally safe garden for her to explore.
I've bought some rosemary and lavender bushes but would like suggestions for other plants that would do well in pots plus some climbers that aren't toxic and won't cause skin irritations.
Googling lists endless toxic common plants but a quick list of a few things I could plant would be great.
I'm in Scotland, garden faces south east

Google edible plants.
pansies, violets. nastertiums, alliums, most of the herb family.
Peas climb and have lovely scented flowers, likewise scarlet runner beans.
Jasmine and passion flower, if you protect them in the winter.
There's a lovely pink thornless rose as well, I'll try and remember the name.

The thornless rose hag is thinking of is probably zephirine drouhin (not sure about spelling!). It's lovely.

I second anything edible, there are loads and loads of edible flowers that you would never have thought of. Marigolds, carnations, chrysanthemums, day lilies, cornflowers, as well as all the obvious herbs: lavender, rosemary, thyme, chives, dill, fennel, bay, santolina.

I have a lovely bed which is almost all edible right now, and doing really well despite a month of absolutely no rain and howling wind. At the back there is a climbing jasmine. In front of that a large rosemary, bay on one side and fennel on the other, with a couple of tall alliums peeking out behind. Around are some lower plants: three different kinds of sages, chives, oregano, thyme, winter savoury and monarda. I also have a few irises lurking in there which give lovely colour at this time, but not sure if those are completely safe.

Lots here
www.thompson-morgan.com/edible-flowers

thornless roses here
www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/english/Advanced.asp?PageId=2026

sounds like growing mange tout and strawberries would be nice for her

this list of poisonous plants indicates that Irises are not safe to eat
homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/blflowersnot.htm

Thanks this is really helpful - googling edible plants - doh!

Yes Irises are not good. I think even with edible plants there can be parts that are opisonous. Im wondering about emailing somewhere like kew or rhs - things like chysanthemums are dangerous to animals even though you can eat the flowers. I dont know what that means for humans. Is it that the system is differnt or that we just assume humans wont eat inedibles or bitter tasting plants? Im ok with thorns - she needs to learn about danger, taking care somehow and I dont mind a snags or bee stings etc. Stuff I can see and deal with. I might have to content myself with still needing to stop her eating stuff but at least having the peace of mind that the odd mouthful or two wont require trips to A&E. Its a shame I wanted to be able to leave her in the garden unsupervised for a few minutes without worry.

Its more the plants that have nerve poisons, create cardiac arrest that Im really concerned about. Particualrly as shes non-verbal and wouldnt be able to tell us if unwell or about symptoms.

I didn't mean to make you feel dim, one of my hobbies is Medieval cookery and herblore so I know that a lot of things were once regarded as edible and useful that aren't generally eaten now.
The Thompson and Morgan catalogue used to list if a certain plant was potentially dangerous, it might be worth emailing them with a request for help and giving them the specific details. They might love to help.

Thyme, rosemary, lavender, bay for all year colour and structure.

Perennials such as oregano, mint( in a pot) lemon balm, chives (they have lovely flowers and you can get lots of different varieties) marjoram, fennel, savoury. There are also lots of beautiful varieties of sage.

Basil, coriander, lemongrass and parsley will look great for summer. I can recommend purple basil, it's easy to grow from seed and looks and tastes gorgeous!

I didn't take it badly hag just laughing at myself so preoccupied with poison that the word edible didn't cross my mind.

I think it is sensible to not grow poisonous plants with children in the garden. I never grew things like irises or foxgloves till the dc had well grown up and made sure I never grew anything poisonous when they were little.
So euphorbias aconite foxgloves and laburnums were definitely out.

I think there are so many plants out there and so much choice that you and DC might as well be safe! I agree you want to be able to leave her in the garden without worrying too much.
Apple and plum trees espaliered or fan trained or stepover if you have the patience are good! Cut and come again lettuce is yummy. Calendula is colourful and edible. All roses are fine and you could choose those with edible hips!

Don't know about chrysanthemums specifically, but there are definitely things which are safe for humans but poisonous for animals. Grape vines, for example, where we can eat the fruit and the leaves but they are poisonous to dogs.

you could also look at some of the sites that deal with gardens for dementia patients, there are many and the safety considerations that worry you apply to dementia patients too.

Personally I think children are very very different and shouldnt be lumped in with the elderly.

Gardens for the elderly have a different story: the elderly may well have been keen gardeners in their time.
A child is in the garden for the first time in his/her life and will naturally want to a) explore and b) play
I'm really against lumping age groups together.

This is an interesting one.

I think you're wise to be cautious about this, because plants can do harm - quite a lot of harm, too - especially to children. Something that is dangerous to pets isn't necessarily dangerous to children - and equally, something that is OK for pets isn't necessarily OK for children.

However, there is also a danger in having a very edible garden that tastes yummy, in that you can imagine a child exposed to it thinking all plants were OK to nibble on. And I would worry almost equally about that as a learning experience, because the last thing you want is for the DD to start eating plants in gardens that are not 'safe' because that's what she does at home.

I am afraid to say that I think the best advice is to do a lot of research. There are LOTS of books about poisonous plants, and there are also some on therapeutic gardening/gardening for play that include advice about what to include. I reckon a trip to the library to find these might pay dividends.

What about ornamental grasses? You would need to research them but I'm not aware of any that are hugely toxic (I could be wrong!), and they are tough and hard to chew and swallow. Also v low maintenance

You can eat both the flowers and leaves of a nasturtium. Chives look lovely and again, both the stalk and the flowers are edible (my children eat them by the handful).

My DD doesnt really learn. I want to discourage her from eating plants but much like a baby she mouths everything and that stage may never pass in our case. So Id just like nothing serious to happen as a consequence and Id like to be able to go for a pee without having to drag her out of the garden first - so just that basic level of safety that we can take our eyes off her for a few minutes and not come back to see shes eaten tulip bulbs or to see shes seriously unwell but have no idea what shes eaten and she cant tell us.
Ill ahve a look - but it feels really complicated. The dementia garden might be useful but I dont really know what the issues are for dementia patients and safety outdoors. They could be similar they could also not be. But someone must have done this before.

In terms of her enjoyment she loves touching plants and souil and water and just generally being outdoors. Id love some flowers and beautiful plants myself but a lot of what Id like is dangerous - clematis, tulips, poppies. We have a horrible swimming pool of decking at the moment but the good thing is that we start with a clean slate thats totally safe (apart from being slippy) and I can go slowly and only introduce things on whcih every stage and part of the plant is safe.
Theres been great suggestions and good tips on where to get advice - grasses sound nice too and herbs. Im thinking a star jasmine would be a lovely creeper. Pansies are cute and some ferns are safe. Its a little frustrating Id love to just design something using books and those container recipes and pick up random stuff at the garden centre that I like and is on offer but it will just ahve to be far more organised and carefully thought through. Thanks everyone.

www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/children/fun-plants-for-kids.htm

www.timotayplayscapes.co.uk/special-education-needs-sensory-garden-design-build

cheapdisabilityaids.co.uk/garden-sensory-play-26-c.asp

www.greenstonedesign.co.uk/special-needs-sensory-gardens.html

rhs list of harmful plants
www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=524

peas, sunflowers, calendula, radishes and a bird bath seem to be successful as well as sound making and visual stuff like rain chains

a lawn to roll on and sit on, a trowel to dig with, a watering can to water with, a wheel barrow to wheel.....

This is very intersting to read if you have the time
"In the autumn term, outside the
girl’s house, a group of pupils dug
over an overgrown bed and planted
early summer flowering bulbs such as
Ixia, Sparaxis
and
Gladiolus nanus.
The bulbs were carefully selected to
ensure they were not poisonous or a
potential irritant for pupils."
www.sd42.ca/system/files/gardens%20and%20children%20with%20special%20needs.pdf

"Autumn bulb planting provided an
unexpected opportunity for a pupil
with Severe and Multiple Learning
Difficulties (SMLD) to meet one of
his personalised learning targets.
The learning target in question –
one of dropping balls precisely into
a bin rather than throwing them
at random – was achieved by the
pupil using an adapted technique
of dropping bulbs into a pot, to the
great satisfaction of both the pupil
and his teacher. Other pupils used
drainpipes to roll the bulbs precisely
into the pots. In spring, the group’s
efforts were further rewarded with a
successive display of
Crocus, Muscari
(grape hyacinths) and
Alliums"

Fruit trees and bushes. Lovely food.

Growing and eating fruit was a most fond early childhood memory. These bushes and plants were treasured by me.

^The blossom is quite beautiful too.

Peas are great for eating and shelling them can be very satisfying and would develop motor skills.