HelpfulGardener.com

Hello, we have a rambunctious 2 year old and I'm afraid he might accidentally grab the thorny rose bush stems in our new garden. Is it okay to trim the thorns off a rose bush or will it cause problems?

You would risk harming the rose bush if you tried to get the whole thorn off. If you really wanted to, you could clip the thorn tips off, so the thorns would be blunted.

Personally, I think if the child grabbed the thorns once, he isn't likely to do it again. And it's not like his learning experience will be fatal. Unlike say cactus prickles which stick in the skin, rose thorns don't generally come off the plant. He will have a little owie and he will learn not to do that. We teach children not to touch the hot stove and not to run in the street, he can learn not to grab the rose thorn.

I agree, you should show him the bush, point out the thorns "OUCHIE!" and tell him not to touch, but I would also put a fence sufficiently out around the Rose bed to keep him out.

Removing the thorns would create open wounds where bugs and infection can get in.

My grandma had 2 very lovely, very thorny climbing roses going up one corner of the porch. None of us grandkids ever got hold of those roses.

I did have one cousin that tried to smash one of her cacti between his hands. Never did it again. Of course the rest of us (we were mean kids) laughed at him. The look on his face was priceless! A little liquid white glue (Elmers is what she had on hand) and all the stickers came out. You spread the glue and let it dry. I was surprised at how well it worked. But they were the fine hairy spines, not thick hard ones.

I agree, you can't always protect kids from everything, so it is a good idea to teach them young about a variety of things like what not to touch and what they can do and where it is safe to go. A fence is a good idea though until the lesson is learned.