Danger at Botanic Gardens Akl

We were at the Botanic Gardens (Manurewa) this weekend which is a great place to take the kids for a run around, its really beautiful and peaceful, and lots of ducks to feed, but no-one told me about the Stinging Nettles there!

In the Herb Gardens near the entrance, where you are told to taste smell and enjoy the gardens, there is a great big nettle bush, now its not that common so many of us don't know what it looks like.

I only brushed it with my arm for a split second, and it really hurt! I know why they call them 'stinging' nettles. Bits of the microscopic spikes break off and pierce your skin, then inject you with nasty chemicals.

I wouldn't want a kiddy within 10 feet of this plant, the pain and swelling didn't go away for 6 hours or more, and I'm a grown up! We didn't happen to have any vinegar handy either, there's most things in my nappy bag, but unfortunately not vinegar. I found out baby wipes are ineffective against nettles

Its not a good idea to let your children play in this part of the Auckland Botanic Gardens.

I would have thought there would have been some kind of sign to let you know it was there, and that it's probably not a good idea to touch it.

yep doc leave relieve the stinging and they are usually found growing near by.

I totally agree it's not pleasent but not dangerous either, really....
I'm German and they're everywhere in Germany, just a weed really and when I was 4 I walked past a huge paddock full with stinging nettles with my grandad and he told me (jokingly) that on Tuesdays (it was Tuesday) they don't sting!!!! Well........................................ I jumped into the paddock with shorts and t-shirt!!!

I was in agony all day and my grandma had a stern word with my grandad!!

I wouldn't be too faced if my child touched them, espec after I told her that they will sting!

Ooh, yes, we used to get them all the time on the farm. The stings are nasty (but as you say Julia, they don't do much damage, we used to get them as kids all the time. Mostly because yellow admiral butterfly caterpillars love eating nettle, and we used to catch the caterpillars and keep them on a few stems in our rooms - getting fresh leaves for the caterpillars involves much care and heavy gloves!)

We had this little bugger all through our garden, DH got very used to being stung when he was pulling them out!

Thank you very much for alerting us to this post and offering us an opportunity to comment.

The Botanic Gardens is a great spot for children to learn about plants and their natural environment. We offer many free activities for children throughout our gardens and programmes include activities such as exploring our Children’s Garden, school holiday programmes, guided discovery walks, self guided walks and trails, Learning through Experience education programmes and the very popular self guided Agent Ani trail.

The original post, Melanie, is correct in that we do have the Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica growing in our Herb Garden which is right near the entry to the gardens.

While stinging nettle has its shortcomings (stinging passer-bys!), it is a very important medicinal herb. When made into a tea, it contains very high levels of iron, and is considered to be mineral and vitamin rich; it is known to flush toxins from your system. Nettle also contains compounds that reduce the effects of arthritis and it is considered an age-old remedy for allergies and respiratory problems. It is also a great plant for making nutrients and micronutrients available in the soil (great for organic gardeners and those interested in biodynamic gardening!). It is also food for the red admiral butterfly.

But, despite all its positive attributes, it has one major draw back: some people can have a reaction when they are in contact with the small hairs on its stems and leaves. The chemicals Melanie speaks of are the naturally occurring chemicals, also found in the venom of bee stings and ant bites, which can be very uncomfortable to humans. The best remedy is the juice from Dock Rumex obtusifolius or Rumex crispus (as another reader has posted) as well as Aloe vera. These plants are planted beside or nearby our nettle plant in our Herb Garden.

We have reviewed the planting location of the nettle and will remove the plants that have spread too close to the walkway (thank you Melanie for bringing it to our attention). We will maintain our small plant which is growing in a pot in the garden (up and away from the path). We will also add a small sign to this plant, warning people that they could possibly have a reaction if they touch it.

Thank you again for your post. We hope you enjoy your future visits to the Botanic Gardens!


Edited by Gardens

I once ran though stinging nettles when I was a kid OWCHIE! (I grew up in the uk)

I want to try nettle tea ..

lol Thanks for the heads up re breastfeeding! That sure forestalls me running out and digging up any nettles that I happen to find growing in the garden.

What a fantastic response from the gardens! Well done - am very impressed!