Pet Friendly Gardens

At Wilkinson's we love seeing our four-legged friends both on our pet-friendly Plant Centre and in our customer's gardens. That's why it's no surprise that we often get asked to design gardens with your pets in mind. Taking into account non-toxic planting, shade requirements, avoiding chemicals, and making sure your garden is secure and worry-free environment are just some of the ways we can help.

Non-toxic Plant Choices

We’re all aware that some plants are toxic for our pets however our customers are frequently surprised at what’s on the list. From lilies, to foxgloves, to ivys and yews, it’s always good to make sure that your planting choices reflect what’s suitable for your lifestyle, particularly if you’ve got a pet that likes to chew!

Spring bulbs are another one to watch out for! Daffodils and spring crocus bulbs are poisonous to dogs and still ever popular on walking routes as well as many gardens so are one to keep to the vase where you can!

Avoiding Chemicals

When treating our gardens we often forget that what’s good for getting rid of pests can be highly toxic for your pets. Many commonly purchased herbicides and pesticides can contain metaldehyde and disulfoton which, whilst they’ll get rid of the initial problem can cause serious issues such as rashes, breathing difficulties, stomach upsets and vomiting and can be particularly harmful for older pets with compromised immune systems. Even less toxic alternatives such as ‘Roundup’ can still make your pet sick so always remember to check the label and let anyone working in your garden know that you have a pet who has free reign of your garden.

As well as this lawn feeds and moss killers can also include ferrous sulphate (iron) which have the potential to cause iron poisoning in the worst case and skin irritations at the milder end.

Cocoa mulch, whilst smelling lovely, is also not a good choice when you have pets as it contains a small amount of theobromine (the active ingredient in chocolate) and as we all know not good for dogs! The best approach if you’re determined to have it in your garden is to keep your pet out of the mulch for the first few weeks as weather exposure will dissipate the smell of chocolate over time and reduce the risk.

Improvements

So now that we’ve discussed the scary stuff what can we do to protect our friends? A lot of commonly requested garden improvements for our pet conscious customers include raised beds and secure fencing with appropriate fastenings to make sure that even the most determined dog can’t dig through and do a ‘runner’.

Another key consideration when making your garden pet friendly is shelter and shade. This not only protects your pets paws on those hot summer days but also provides a shady space to cool down for your fluffiest friend. From Pergolas providing partial shade sheds, canopies, or dedicated pet shelters there are loads of options available to tick this box. It can also be a great area to store essentials just as water dishes and tidy up dog toys.

If in doubt on the planting why not book an appointment with one of our resident Horticultural experts who can walk around our Plant Centre with you to create a planting scheme for your garden?

To improve your garden for you and your pets get in touch for a no-obligation garden design quote today by calling 01642 790409, emailing info@wilkinsonslandscapes.co.uk, or by sending us a message through any of our social media platforms.

Photo model; The ever so photogenic Baloo.