Dog friendly landscape design
Tips for a dogs-Friendly Garden
Designing a Dog-Friendly garden presents a few challenges. Here are some tips for success to keep everyone happy.
Bandit and Clouseau, a couple of very well behaved dogs looking adorable in this colorful patio garden
Know your dog
Know your dog and his habits and needs. Does he/she dig? Does he run, jump over fences, etc. Watch him as he runs through your landscape and notice his hiding spots, those will not change because you re-landscape. As crazy as it sounds, design your garden around your dog, everyone will be happier in the end.
This adorable pup has his special spot to keep cool beneath an azalea bush
2. Plant non-toxic , soft and edible
This is pretty important. No matter what you plant, it needs to be non-toxic and preferably edible. Dogs and kids chew on plants and you don’t want them to get sick. Most Mediterranean plants work, Olives, rosemary, lavender, thyme, nepeta, teucrium, roses, fruit trees, just to name a few. Please don’t plant any kind of euphorbia, they are extremely toxic to people and animals. Oh, and no chemicals or pesticides.
Wally munching on thyme right out of the garden
Euphorbia is extremely toxic to people and pets. If you have children or pets, do not plant it.
3. Create Visual and physical Barriers
There was a client who had several dogs and she was on a street where people would walk by and the dogs would get agitated. Building a fence was not an option, due to its location. The living room was also visible from the street, so she had no privacy. The challenge was to block the view of the house, dogs and garden from passers by and create a solid barrier so the dogs could not escape.
The solution was to construct a free standing gate that provided a visual and physical barrier from the street. We found an antique door to mount on a constructed frame. The dogs were happy, the owner was happy and the garden was beautiful.
This gorgeous antique door on a custom frame provides physical and visual barrier from the street and keeps the dogs in
4. When it comes to planting-choose wisely
As a final note, use plants that can take abuse and respond to heavy pruning. Using plants with fragrant foliage gives an unexpected bonus, as your dogs meander through the garden the fragrances will stick to your dog’s fur and this will help repel ticks and fleas! Plant Mexican Sage, Mexican Marigold, Waverly Sage, Nepeta, Teucrium, Lemon Verbena, Rosemary, Lavender just to name a few.
This Dog-Friendly garden borders a Decomposed Granite courtyard with gas fire pit. The border plants are all soft and take abuse. Nepeta, Teucrium, Shasta Daisy, Lemon Verbena, fruit trees, sages, Thyme, Oakleaf Hydrangea just to name a few
5. Relax and Breathe
If you have dogs, hopefully you already realize that a perfect garden is not in your future. Let it be a bit messy and overgrown and just enjoy your garden with your dogs.
And, most important of all, Fill Your Garden with Joy! xoxo Lisa