Are you looking for pet friendly plants to grow in your garden? Believe it or not, it’s nice to have a garden that you can call your own. In fact, it’s a great place for your pet to roam about.
However, it’s still important to make sure that your pet can roam around safely in your garden. Your pet might try to eat some of your plants, or dig holes near the fencing.
If getting sick from ingesting plants or escaping from the yard aren’t enough, then your pet might get sick from harsh garden chemicals, or stumble onto sharp objects.
Yes, a lot can go wrong for your pet if you don’t make your garden pet-friendly. But not to worry! This essential guide will show you 7 helpful tips on making your garden safe for your pet!
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Importance of a Pet Friendly Garden
Before we go over the 7 tips, it’s important to talk about pet-friendliness and why it matters. You treat your pet like a family member, right? Therefore, it’s nice to protect them in any way possible.
So, when your pet is out and about in your garden. Think of it like supervising a child. You wouldn’t leave a child unattended outside, would you? The same rules apply here with your pet.
Whether you have a dog, a cat, a rabbit, a hamster, or some other furry or scaly friend, treat your pet as if they were a family member.
With that in mind, here are 7 tips pet friendly parks apply that can help you make a pet friendly garden:
1. Choose Pet Friendly Plants
First, there’s nothing wrong with planting plants in your garden. However, since you have a pet roaming about, you’ll need to choose pet safe plants.
The last thing you want is to have your pet get sick from ingesting a bad plant. While it might seem impossible to keep your pet away from plants, you can still make an effort in planting pet-friendly ones.
With that said, try planting your garden with some of the following pet friendly plants:
- Astilbe
- Hardy geranium
- Nepeta, AND
- Sturdy shrubs (e.g., shrub roses viburnum)
These plants are harmless to pets, even if your dog or cat messes with them from time to time. Larger plants like trees are another great plant to have in your garden – plus, it’s great shade for your pet!
2. Avoid Plants Harmful to Pets
Now that we’ve established which plants are generally safe for pets, it’s time to talk about which plants to avoid. Again, it’s important to note that ingesting harmful plants can cause your pet to get sick.
Whether or not you realize it, your pet might run into something “tasty,” and then regret it a few minutes later. So, which plants are harmful? The list may surprise you.
Plants Harmful to Pets include the following:
- Aconite
- Buttercup
- Chrysanthemum
- Daffodil
- Daphne
- Foxglove
- Oak
- Tomato
- Wisteria
- Yew, etc.
These plants, when ingested, can cause a dangerous cocktail of symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, excessive drooling, and potentially death.
If your pet happens to eat any of the plants discussed, then it’s time to see the vet. Don’t wait until you see the symptoms before getting help for your pet.
3. Look For Other Toxic Things
Now, certain plants aren’t the only toxic things to be in the garden. In fact, there might be other dangers lurking in your garden. For example, what about insects?
Certain bugs like snails and slugs can be harmful to pets, if ingested. Eating these bugs, or even frogs, can lead to lungworm infections. Lungworm can lead to symptoms like breathing problems, lethargy, coughing, and excessive bleeding.
If you suspect that your pet has ingested a snail, slug, or frog from your garden, don’t wait for the symptoms to show up. See your veterinarian right away, so that your pet can get treated right away.
Also, make sure that snails and slugs are kept away from where your pet would usually hang out in the garden. Do the same with frogs, so that your pet doesn’t get tempted to eat, or even lick, something that they shouldn’t.
4. Remove Fleas And Ticks
Fleas and ticks can be a pain for your furry friend. Dogs and cats especially have that problem of attracting these kinds of parasites. These parasites can cause things like heartworm disease, Lyme disease, and so on. Plus, they can immediately turn into a big infestation when given enough time.
First, look at your pet. Are they often scratching themselves? Do you see any bites or irritations on the skin? Those are often the first signs of there being fleas and ticks in your garden.
Next, take a good look at your garden. Is your grass growing too tall? Is there still water in various parts of the yard? Those are typically good hiding spots and nesting areas for fleas and ticks.
That’s why is important to tidy up your garden by doing the following:
- Raking the leaves
- Mowing the lawn - Automate your lawn mowing by using robot lawn mowers.
- Getting rid of still water
- Keeping any woodpiles neatly stacked and dry, AND
- Treating your garden
By doing regular maintenance on your garden, you’ll be able to keep the fleas and ticks at bay. Plus, you’ll be able to protect your pet from such pests.
Now, speaking of treating your garden…
5. Be Careful With Fertilizers And Pesticides
There are many fertilizers and pesticides on the market that aim to protect your garden from various pests. Common pests include roaches, ants, fleas, ticks, wasps, and so on.
However, be careful with which fertilizers and pesticides that you use in your garden. While it’s important to keep pests away, as well as to keep your plants healthy, it’s also important to keep in mind what products you’re using.
Chances are, you might be using a product that might be causing sickness, burns, and other health issues for your pet. Like humans, pets can be harmed by the very things that are supposed to be beneficial to your garden.
Therefore, look for fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides that are pet-friendly. Make sure that they have a seal of approval when it comes to demonstrating pet safety.
Here is a list of the best pet safe weed killers for 2023. If you’re not sure which products are safe for your pet, consult your veterinarian.
6. Cover Your Compost
Sometimes, you’ll use compost to help keep your plants healthy. Compost has a lot of nutrition for your plants to use as food. Believe it or not, you can toss about-to-spoil produce and last night's leftovers into the compost heap.
The produce and leftovers can then be used for when you tend to your garden next. However, you must consider how your pet will react to your compost. In fact, your pet might think that the compost heap has food.
Pets will eat anything and everything without thinking twice about it; and, if they eat anything from the compost, then they could potentially make them sick.
In that case, you’ll need to cover your compost pile or bin, so that your pet doesn’t get to it. As always, if your pet ingests something from the compost, then take them to the vet right away.
The last thing you want is for your pet to get a tummy-ache from what they might’ve eaten from the pile so take into consideration the compost bin or tumbler you'll choose for your garden.
7. Secure Your Garden
Don’t forget to treat your garden as a fortress for your pet. In other words, make sure that your garden is well-secured. Sometimes, animals like dogs might see something going on from outside the yard.
Whatever it is – a squirrel, a person, or another dog – might entice them to chase after them. Then, they will try to dig under the fence, and then escape through the holes.
You can prevent this by making your borders at the base. Borders will keep your pet from digging a hole underneath. (Here are tips on how to stop a dog from digging) On the same token, other animals won’t try to dig underneath to get inside your garden.
Or sometimes, dogs might try to jump the fence and escape. However, fences that are at least six feet high make it harder for dogs to jump the fence. So, make sure that your fence is much taller than your pet.
Plus, leaving your garden gate open for long periods of time may entice your pet to venture outside the garden. Or, that might convince unwanted pets or animals to come into the garden. So, make sure that your gate stays closed at all times when you bring your pet outside.
BONUS: Observe Your Pet
Ultimately, observation is key to keeping your pet safe in the garden. Even if you can’t always be with your pet outside – even if you’re doing other things around the house – it’s still important to practice observation.
First, keep track of your pet’s usual habits. Do they hang out in a particular spot in your garden? Do they gravitate towards a particular plant? Do they have the habit of eating certain plants? Are they marking their territory in certain parts of the yard?
In addition, look at how your pet behaves? Are they always rowdy outside? Are they always escaping through the fence? Are they always chewing on things?
With that said, make sure that you know how your pet behaves in the garden. If necessary, make your garden safe and habitable for your pet, so that you can be ready for anything. Again, even if you can’t be outside with your pet, it’s still important to observe them.
If you need to install security cameras around your garden, then do so. It’ll give you peace of mind when monitoring your pet outside.
DISCLAIMER: Always Talk To Your Vet
Now, this is an obvious point, but it’s essential to know. When in doubt, don’t be afraid to consult your veterinarian about how to keep your pet safe outside. Be sure to talk about the following when seeing your vet:
- The pesticides and fertilizers to avoid when treating your garden. Your vet may suggest brands of fertilizers and other products that are pet-friendly.
- The types of insects and bugs to have your pet stay away from, and how to get rid of them.
- The types of products that will repel fleas and ticks, and those that can prevent the pests from coming back.
- What to do if there is ever a pet medical emergency.
It’s important to talk to your vet about the things that might or might not happen to your pet whenever they venture into your garden. As you can see, prevention is key.
Sara Sparrow is a writer and editor at Write my essay service. As a content writer, she writes articles about tech trends, lifestyle trends, and DIY trends.
Now You Know How to Make a Pet Friendly Garden
So, there you have it! As you can see, there are many things to think about when making your garden pet-friendly. However, your hard work will definitely pay off when you take extra steps in securing your garden for your pet.
So, just to recap:
- Plant pet-friendly plants.
- Avoid planting plants that can be potentially harmful to your pet.
- Be on the lookout for other toxic objects and species.
- Get rid of the fleas and ticks in your garden by checking every spot.
- Use pet-friendly garden treatments.
- Cover the compost.
- Secure the garden. AND,
- Observe your pet’s behaviors and actions.
By following the tips discussed in this essential guide, not only will you have a spectacular garden, but also your pet will thank you for it!