A QUESTION we should all ask ourselves, particularly if we are likely to be visited by friends and family with young children, is just how safe are our gardens?

It's a sad fact that every year in the region of 5,000 people in Britain are poisoned by plants and up to 80 per cent of that number are toddlers and young children. This makes poisoning from plants the third most common cause after household chemicals and medicines.

Obviously it isn't practical to banish children from the garden and they should be encouraged to enjoy being outside, but it's wise to start training them from the earliest age not to put anything in their mouths before asking first. Of course, this is easier said than done so it pays to keep a watchful eye on their play.

A surprising number of plants are poisonous so, if you have young children, it makes sense not to grow those that can be really dangerous if eaten. Being familiar with the names of seriously poisonous plants can in extreme cases save a worrying visit to the hospital.

But if a child in your care does swallow any part of a plant and you aren't sure if it is toxic, contact the local hospital immediately. If the child has to be taken to hospital, take as much of the plant as possible in a plastic bag to make identification easier. Time can be wasted if the medical staff have to delve through any number of botanical books to identify the plant from inadequate material.

Some of the more common poisonous plants that are found in British gardens include laburnum, yew, angel's trumpets, lupin, euphorbia, aconite, hellebore, colchicum and foxgloves.

The flowers of spring favourites such as daffodils and tulips can be poisonous. The bulbs of daffodils are toxic and when stored away over winter should be clearly labelled. There have been cases where they have been mistakenly used instead of onions. Check seed packets for details of toxicity and store highly poisonous seeds, such as morning glory, well out of reach of the inquisitive fingers of small children.

Some plants are more dangerous than others and one that is particularly attractive to children is the common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea). Its very name is derived from fairy folk's gloves, making it almost irresistible for children to push their fingers into the flowers. All parts of the plant are toxic containing digitoxin, a cardiac stimulant, which if eaten in sufficient quantities can kill.

Another commonly grown plant is laburnum. The seeds are produced in pods which to children seem to be ideal playthings, as do the less toxic but still dangerous pods from lupins and sweet peas.

As with the common foxglove, many poisonous plants contain drugs which have been widely used for hundreds of years. In medieval times the monastery garden was used as a source of herbal remedies for the nobility and villagers alike. The root of the Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) has a similar effect on the heart as the foxglove, and at one time was used as a laxative and diuretic. Many herbal medicines are extremely powerful and should only be taken under medical supervision.

Euphorbia is another plant used by apothecaries in the past, commonly known as "spurge", and its poisonous sap can cause extremely painful blisters and rashes. It is especially dangerous to let the sap come into contact with the eyes. The leaves of the commonly grown primula can also cause problems.

Our gardens are not the only places to watch out for dangerous plants. In the wild possibly the two most poisonous are monkshood (Aconitum napellus) and deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna). There are cultivated varieties of monkshood and these are equally toxic. In the past deadly nightshade has been widely cultivated in Britain as a source of the drugs atropine and hyoscyamine. It bears sweet berries that are fatal to children.

It is not only plants that can be dangersous, the widely used blue slug pellets look like tiny, brightly coloured sweets and are easily picked up. They contain metaldehyde which can be fatal if eaten. So if you are likely to have young visitors it may be better to protect vulnerable plants such as hostas in other ways. In the spring surround the emerging plant with a generous quantity of sharp sand or place containers of beer (irresistible to slugs and snails) near the plants. The birds will quickly clear up any bodies that you find if you put them in an open place.

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