# Tips for pet-friendly planting!



## Dober (Jan 2, 2012)

Hey folks  

My new garden is about a third of an acre; Im looking for suggestions for plants which are hardy, low maintenance and non-toxic to pets. The soil has quite a lot of clay. My plan is to make the whole garden non-toxic if anything is eaten by puppies, which doesnt seem like the easiest thing in the world to me!

Im hoping to have quite a formal garden, mostly laid to lawn but with some nice flower beds around the outside. There is a large apple tree in the middle of the garden, and I was thinking about getting some shaped apple trees to grow along the fence barriers. I know apple seeds are poisonous, so I pick up the apples which fall on the ground (though the dogs have always eaten some apples and the seeds have passed through no problems)

I want to have lavender and rose bushes, but looking for more plants and flowers to fill out my borders with 

At the minute I have some quite mature grape vines I was hoping to take with me, I know the grapes arnt good for dogs so I always cut the bunches of grapes off. Are the actual vines/leaves poisonous? 

Thanks!!


----------



## Dober (Jan 2, 2012)

Idea of what I like:










http://www.houzz.com/pro/rogerwebster/roger-webster-garden-design










http://www.houzz.com/pro/dmge/david-morello-garden-enterprises-inc










http://www.houzz.com/pro/windsorcompanies/windsor-companies










http://www.houzz.com/pro/inspiredgardendesign/inspired-garden-design


----------



## advancedipm (Feb 21, 2014)

Well, What's the issue then? You are quite clear in your mind that what you want so now whether you can do it with your own or hire a gardener for doing that for you. 

Yea the safety of trees and plants might be an issue. For that you can hire professional pest controllers too. Or if you want to do it with your own that is possible too. but you have to do some hard work for that.


----------



## Sally Hayward (Apr 14, 2013)

How about some clematis... low maintenance.. very pretty. .look good in a formal garden... either up the apple tree or up the walls...or even an obelisk or two?


----------



## ALcatrazbirdman (Feb 27, 2014)

ive had dogs since i wus knee high to a grasshopper,and gardens,never had a problem with ''poisonous'' plants.A dog will sometimes swallow grass then honk it up ,but that is what dogs do when need arises.You shouldnt get paranoid about it ,if you take dogs into the countryside as im sure you do/will, the remote chance of it eating a poisonous plant would still exist !.As long as you dont let them eat anything sprayed with weedkiller you should have no problems. So pull up a deckchair and relax whilst watching the mutts spoil that lovely lawn ! :yikes:


----------



## Dober (Jan 2, 2012)

ALcatrazbirdman said:


> ive had dogs since i wus knee high to a grasshopper,and gardens,never had a problem with ''poisonous'' plants.A dog will sometimes swallow grass then honk it up ,but that is what dogs do when need arises.You shouldnt get paranoid about it ,if you take dogs into the countryside as im sure you do/will, the remote chance of it eating a poisonous plant would still exist !.As long as you dont let them eat anything sprayed with weedkiller you should have no problems. So pull up a deckchair and relax whilst watching the mutts spoil that lovely lawn ! :yikes:


Thanks for the input  This is the way I've decided to go however through experience with drivey dobermann puppies, who are into _everything_! We had a scare with one of my pups eating a couple of hyacinth bulbs in the past and a friend's dog also died of eating something nasty in the garden. I'd like to be able to stick young puppies out there without worrying about everything they're picking up or chewing on.


----------



## ALcatrazbirdman (Feb 27, 2014)

sorry to hear about the dogs, guess there are always going to be the exceptions , i know that Labs, are notorious for eating practically anything [or should i say everything ? oh no thats goats,but Labs seem to be blessed with the constitution of an Aberdeen Angus .Anyway hope you get to enjoy that lovely garden without worrying too much about what mans best friend is getting up to ..:thumbup: Al


----------



## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

Lavender doesn't do at all well on clay soils. It likes gritty, sharp drainage and will die if the roots sit in cold, wet, clay soils. You could improve the conditions by digging in coarse grit (say a wheelbarrow-full per square yard) and mound up, planting on top of the mound. Roses will like it (might be safer to go for thornless varieties), and Alchemilla mollis would do well as ground cover (frothy yellow flowers) and would look good alongside hardy geraniums such as Johnson's Blue.

Other plants to look at that would give the look you're after include Inula, Asters, Crocosmia, Helenium, Ligularia, Rudbeckia, Solidago (Golden Rod), Eupatorium, Lysimachia, Doronicum, Lythrum, Hemerocallis (Day lilies), Monarda, Japanese Anemones, Polemonium. For shrubs, the dogwoods, Forsythia, Spiraeas, Ribes, Viburnums, Magnolia (if sheltered), Japanese Maple (if sheltered) and Weigelia. 

You get the look you want by planting in drifts of the same plant and variety - dot them about and it looks bitty, particularly on a plot that size.


----------



## Dober (Jan 2, 2012)

Burrowzig said:


> Lavender doesn't do at all well on clay soils. It likes gritty, sharp drainage and will die if the roots sit in cold, wet, clay soils. You could improve the conditions by digging in coarse grit (say a wheelbarrow-full per square yard) and mound up, planting on top of the mound. Roses will like it (might be safer to go for thornless varieties), and Alchemilla mollis would do well as ground cover (frothy yellow flowers) and would look good alongside hardy geraniums such as Johnson's Blue.
> 
> Other plants to look at that would give the look you're after include Inula, Asters, Crocosmia, Helenium, Ligularia, Rudbeckia, Solidago (Golden Rod), Eupatorium, Lysimachia, Doronicum, Lythrum, Hemerocallis (Day lilies), Monarda, Japanese Anemones, Polemonium. For shrubs, the dogwoods, Forsythia, Spiraeas, Ribes, Viburnums, Magnolia (if sheltered), Japanese Maple (if sheltered) and Weigelia.
> 
> You get the look you want by planting in drifts of the same plant and variety - dot them about and it looks bitty, particularly on a plot that size.


Wow, that's brilliant advice thank you


----------

