Allowing Your Pets to Enjoy the Yard and Garden with You
Think that your garden is a paradise for your pet? Think again. Did you
know that poisonous plants, ponds or pools, and pesticides are just a
few of the dangers lurking within the confines of your seemingly safe
garden area? If you're an animal lover and the proud owner of a dog or
cat, chances are they're allowed to venture freely around you home and
surrounding lawn. If you're also a fellow gardener, chances are you have
a beautiful garden somewhere on your property. So if you are a loyal
pet owner that just happens to love gardening, consider implementing a
pet-friendly garden. This will allow your pet to enjoy being outdoors
without the worry of possible dangers to them or your garden.
Pets
have certain needs, as well as their own ideas, regarding their
territory within the yard; and unfortunately, these things are
oftentimes overlooked. Most of us, at least those who have children, do
our best to keep our gardens safe for kids, but we unknowingly forget
about our pets. In fact, there is probably more information floating
around that tells how to keep them out of the garden rather than how to
create a pet-friendly garden environment. Designing and planting a
pet-friendly garden based on your pet's needs is an important factor to
consider, especially if your pet is permitted to run free throughout the
property. It is usually not too difficult to teach your dog to stay
within certain boundaries. As dogs are more prone to digging for
purposes of play, designate an area of the yard to accommodate this,
especially for puppies. Keep all toys within this area and encourage
children to play with them only within these boundaries. If your pet is
particularly unruly, raised beds and/or fencing may be needed. About the
only major problem associated with cats in the garden is their desire
to use it as a litter box. This, too, can be fixed by keeping the soil
in your pet-friendly garden moist. Cats prefer dry areas. Typically, the
driest areas of the garden are close to the foundation of your home as
concrete often takes moisture from the soil. Keeping this site moist
with a layer of plastic and mulch should help alleviate any littering
problems. Cats might appreciate a designated place for them as well.
Create this spot away from the rest of the pet-friendly garden with
plantings of their favorite grasses and catnip for chewing. You could
also opt to create an outside litter area nearby as well.
Include various paths within your pet-friendly garden. For instance, if
there are areas of the lawn that have been worn down by your pet from
frequent traveling, you can incorporate paving elements or some form of
mulch along this area, tying it in with the rest of the pet-friendly
garden. Avoid bare areas within the garden; this will only invite your
playful pets to dig. Choose pet-friendly plants that are not easily
damaged by the wear and tear associated with pets. Groundcovers like
creeping thyme, sweet woodruff, and periwinkle work well. Grasses are
also tough-growing plants, and there are numerous ornamental types
available, none of which pose any threats to pets if ingested. Cats are
generally less apt to eat plants, other than grasses. They seem to be
more choosy in what they will or will not put in their mouths, unlike
dogs. Dogs are curious by nature and are much more likely to chew on
nearly anything.
There are many popular garden plants that are
quite harmful, even deadly, to pets. In fact, commonly grown plants such
as foxglove, lily-of-the-valley, yew, oleander, and kalanchoe contain
cardio-toxins and can cause heart failure if ingested by pets. Other
common garden plants, such as rhubarb and daylilies, are particularly
dangerous to cats as they can lead to kidney failure. The autumn crocus
can cause multiple reactions in both dogs and cats, including renal
failure and liver damage. Even plantings of rhododendrons or azaleas can
prove harmful to pets as they contain toxins causing gastrointestinal
problems. Other potential hazards to your pets include mushrooms and
cocoa hulls. You should avoid placing any of these within your
pet-friendly garden.
There are, however, many pet-friendly
plants to choose from that are considered quite safe for placing into a
pet-friendly garden. These include marigold, snapdragon, pampas grass,
bamboo, cornflower, crape myrtle, and many others. Check the Animal
Poison Control Center for a more detailed list. When you are choosing
plants for a pet-friendly garden, you should try to avoid conifers, like
pine or cedar, especially if your pet is a dog. These can quickly turn
brown if urinated on. An alternative to this would be tough evergreens,
such as magnolia.
One of the best ways to prevent your pet from
damaging delicate plants in your pet-friendly garden is to place them in
containers or raised beds. The use of hanging baskets, window boxes,
and trellises may also be helpful in a pet-friendly garden. These can
provide the pet-friendly garden with additional interest without the
worry of becoming uprooted by pets. Implementing a few prickly plants
into the pet-friendly garden around your most prized flowers may also
help. Most pets do not appreciate the smell of vinegar or moth balls.
These can be incorporated within the pet-friendly garden to act as a
deterrent in specific areas you do not wish your pet to go. Orange
peelings work well with cats; they do not like the smell of citrus. You
can also incorporate natural animal-repelling plants such as citronella
or scented geranium. For other, more pet-friendly areas of the garden,
keep plantings close together. This helps prevent plants from being
trampled on since pets would rather go around than through these
plantings. It may be a wise choice to put attractive fencing around
areas of the pet-friendly garden that will be eaten by you and others,
such as vegetable and herb gardens. You wouldn't want to take a chance
of having the family pet relieve itself there. Alternatively, you can
grow these in containers as well.
Ponds and pools are another
threat within gardens. Curious pets might fall in and if unable to get
out, will drown. Try to avoid these features or at least add fencing
around them if possible. Pesticides and herbicides are the most common
type of poisoning in pets. The most dangerous types of pesticides
include snail and slug bait, ant and roach traps, and mouse bait. Slug
pellets are especially dangerous to cats since they find them to be
quite tasty and will ingest the pellets if run across. If you have a
problem with slugs or snails, use an alternative approach instead such
as beer traps. If at all possible, try to avoid using any type of
chemicals in the garden, especially the pet-friendly garden.
If
you have pets and love to garden, implementing a pet-friendly
environment is a good alternative to maintaining the best of both
worlds.
