Pet-Friendly Flowers and Herbs To Safely Grow in Your Garden (and What To Avoid)

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Selecting plants for your garden requires a certain amount of planning, but if you’re a dog or cat owner, you may have to dig a bit deeper. Since many four-legged friends are known to enjoy running freely through your outdoor space, digging around in gardens or sampling the plants, you’ll want to make sure your yard is filled with pet-friendly flowers, herbs, and other types of foliage.

“We know pets are notoriously curious, and you may have a fur baby that constantly looks for trouble high and low,” says Rebecca Sears, chief gardening guru for Green Garden Products and owner of Ferry-Morse, a home gardening company.

“Gardens can be stimulating spaces for our pets,” adds Sears, “but it’s important to think about what we’re growing to ensure safety for our furry friends.”

So which plants are suitable to be grown around Fido and which ones could present a health hazard? Read on.

The risk

Not everything in nature is safe, even if it’s organic. Some plants are toxic and can make animals severely ill or, in some cases, prove fatal.

“If your pet eats a toxic plant, they can exhibit a variety of symptoms based on the plant, including lethargy, low heart rate, vomiting, mouth irritation, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, among other things,” says Danielle Bernal, global veterinarian with Wellness Pet Food.

To determine if a plant is safe, Bernal recommends searching its name on the internet or visiting your local garden center to ask a plant expert. New home buyers should ask the previous owner about the plants they’ve put in the yard.

Bernal suggests training your dog to keep clear of plants by using a motion-activated animal repellent or sprinkler to deter any interest. She says the devices come in air, water, and sound repellants.

“You can also provide toys that will keep them busy or move the plants out of reach. If that’s difficult with a cat, place the plant in a cage or barrier.”

Pet-safe plants

These flowers don’t pose a risk to dogs.

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You want to have a garden that both you and your pets can frolic in without any worries. Luckily, there are many pet-safe flowers and herbs to grow at home.

“Many ferns, vines, and succulents are safe,” says Sears. “Flowers like aster, daisies, impatiens, marigolds, orchids, petunias, snapdragons, sunflowers, and zinnias are all pet-safe varieties, so you can grow them freely outside with your pets running around, and also not worry about a vase or arrangement of them in your home.”

Herbs like basil, sage, and thyme are pet-friendly, too.

“You can even grow catnip at home. It’s an herb that cats can’t resist, and it’s actually edible for humans, too, adding a lemony-mint flavor to everyday cooking,” says Sears.

Plants to avoid

Easter lily is potentially fatal to cats.

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Though some toxic plants will give your pet only an upset stomach, there are some more dangerous ones that should be avoided at all costs. 

“Azaleas, birds of paradise, tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, iris, lilies, oleander, narcissus, and wisteria are all dangerous to keep around your pets, so avoid them indoors as well as outside if your pets roam around the backyard,” says Sears.

“Morning glories are gorgeous and perfectly safe when in bloom, but before you plant make sure to keep the seeds out of your curious pet’s reach as they are toxic to pets,” adds Sears. 

Bernal warns that lilies are some of the most concerning for cat owners since some species like tiger, Easter, day, and Asiatic “are potentially fatal or can lead to severe kidney failure after even the smallest ingestion of two to three petals.”

Autumn crocus is another highly toxic plant that, when ingested, can cause severe vomiting, gastrointestinal bleeding, liver and kidney damage, and respiratory failure.

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