Gardens for the Whole Family - Including Your Pets!

Le Tour des Plants is here to provide gardeners with a couple of pet-friendly gardening tips:

• Put your birdbath or water feature low enough so your pet can get a drink too.
• Tomato juice won’t cure pee burns in the lawn. Neither will extra salt in their food or baking soda in their water. Rinse the spot with water to dilute the nitrogen that causes the ‘burn.’
• Create a doggie comfort station and train your pet to use it. Some pets appreciate a screen for their business. A ‘pee post’ for the leg-lifters will help keep them off the shrubbery.
• If your cat has been using your veggie patch for a potty, try keeping the area moist and covered with straw mulch. Cats prefer dry, loose soil for their ‘digging.’

What not to plant? For a list of plants that are toxic to pets, visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control site.