STAY SAFE: If you’re planning on pruning roses, make sure your hands are protected (Image: Getty)
Many gardeners pop outside ‘for just half an hour’ to prune roses, tidy winter borders or snip a few festive stems for the house. Most do it in everyday clothes and without gardening gloves, never thinking that a scratch from a tiny thorn prick will be anything more than a minor inconvenience.
It’s understandable – but caution is needed, as even the smallest puncture from a rose thorn can, in rare cases, lead to serious infection, according to a life insurance specialist. Thorns can act like needles, pushing soil, bacteria and fungal spores under the skin and providing a gateway for germs to enter the body.
The majority of gardening scratches heal without any problems at all. However, it pays to be cautious. UK Sepsis Trust reports that the condition affects around 245,000 people in the UK each year and claims up to 48,000 lives.
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Sepsis can begin with a bacterial or fungal infection via a wound in the skin that may initially look harmless. If the body’s immune response spirals out of control, however, organ damage can develop within hours.
High risk
The specialists at Life Pro advise gardeners to exercise extra caution around plants and materials known to cause deep scratches or carry fungal spores. These include:
Rose bushes and climbing rosesBarberry and berberis hedgingPyracantha on fences and wallsHawthorn and blackthorn hedgerowsHolly and mahonia shrubsFlowering quince near paths and windowsSphagnum moss in hanging basketsHay or straw mulch and animal beddingDecaying vegetation and compost-rich soilOld stakes, timber or moss-covered trellis
Keep the cuts at bay with these gloves
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Burgon & Ball: Crafted from soft, yet hard-wearing fabric, these gloves achieve superior comfort during long sessions, say the makers. Price: £20
Thornguard Scratch Proof Gardening Gloves: These gauntlets will allow ‘even the most reluctant gardener can now attack brambles, nettles and thistles without fear of reprisal.’ They even meet a European standard for ‘cut protection’. Price: £14.99 buy two pairs and save £5)
Bionic Gloves Rose Gardening Gloves: Extra-long gauntlet made of composite material that helps provide protection from thorns. Price: £29.99
Vgo Gardening Gloves: Touchscreen sensitive, yet thorn resistant, these gloves are suitable for a host of gardening jobs from weeding to bramble clearance. Price: £27.99
DIY Doctor heavy duty gloves: With wrist protect, these thorn-proof leather gloves protect against cuts and scrapes, while remaining soft for long-lasting comfort. Price: £8.95 (RRP: £10.95)
Prices correct at time of publication
Warning signs
Despite sepsis remaining one of the leading causes of avoidable death, public awareness is still low. Experts advise watching for symptoms such as rapid breathing, confusion, extreme shivering, mottled or very pale skin, and a sudden feeling that ‘something is very wrong.’
Life insurance specialists at Life Pro say people with diabetes, cancer, heart disease or other immune-weakening conditions are at especially high risk if they dismiss thorn injuries as trivial. They warn that families often focus on road safety and home security while overlooking the garden as a place where a tiny puncture could start a dangerous chain of events.
Garden injuries should be treated with the same seriousness as any other infection risk, experts say. Wearing gloves, cleaning cuts promptly and monitoring wounds should become as routine as checking smoke alarms or locking doors.
As gardeners dash outside between showers to trim roses before winter sets in, a single pair of gloves and a few careful minutes may make the difference between a peaceful afternoon and a medical emergency.
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