One of the less known sides of blogging is that you are occasionally sent emails asking you to promote one product or another or accept a 'guest' blogger writing about some commercial product. A polite reply usually sends them packing but this week, an email came through that made me stop and think and then watch the accompanying video. I'm a great fan of Alys Fowler and miss her enormously on GW, and I have great respect for her writing. So when she says she's got something to say on protecting hands during gardening, I thought it was worth listening to.
Anyone with eczema as Alys knows from personal experience needs to be extra careful with certain plant saps. Even if you don't have eczema, you still have to be careful. Only this week, if you've been following the Chelsea Flower Show coverage of Cleve West's Best in Show garden, you'll know that he used parsnip flowers from his own allotment. But when it came to stripping out the garden on Saturday, he found out that even the innocuous parsnip can have a pretty nasty bite on the skin. If you can bear looking, here's a link to his inflamed arm: http://lockerz.com/s/105999997
Some people can't bear gardening in gloves. Having encountered euphorbia sap too many times, I always wear them - the thinnest type which I buy in bulk at the Chelsea Flower Shop and last me for ages. So thank you, Alys, for this timely reminder as to why it is so important for all of us to cover up.
