Laburnum x wateri 'vossii' 'Golden Rain Tree'

lovely plant..another one i will have to try

that's what it is!!! I pass one of these every day, a beautiful specimen in a garden in Broxburn - never knowing what it was. Now I know. It's beautiful Karen.

thats great Karen,
photo and plant.

Thank you both. The laburnum is planted a lot on this housing estate...some by the builders. And that's nice because I used to live near a street called 'Laburnum Ave' as a child....Simbad will know it...and there were lots there too.

Laburnum trees used to be seen everywhere, then they went right out of fashion because of their bad reputation as very poisonous plants. I've always loved them, though, and this one looks lovely.

Yes, everyone seems to know it as poisonous, but it is far less dangerous than the aconite known as Monkshood, which nobody seems to know is poisonous, and recently I discovered that Prunus lusitanica is also full of toxins. Loads of plants are poisonous, but only a few have this one's undeserved reputation! I suppose it is because of the 'pea like' seed pods which could be quite tempting to children.

Love this one, but bitter sweet memories for us, our daughter did eat the peas, and ended up in hospital having her stomach pumped, was a very anxious time....as she had to be monitored through the night!! thanks to the sister coming in to tell us we would never have got her to the hospital in time....

Oh my! That's awful Angela...a very tough time for you!

As you say, Karen, very many plants are poisonous. I think it is essential to teach children not to eat anything at all they find in the garden (or on the carpet, for that matter!). That does mean constant supervision when they are little, though - my 9-month-old grandson and my daughter have just been staying with us. It makes me wonder how I managed to bring my three up at all! One certainly forgets an awful lot as one gets older!

I can imagine! I only had 19 months between my two, but by the time Callum was born I'd already forgotten how to look after a new-born! ;)