If you have a cat or dog that has a liking for your garden plants then this is our guide to plants that you should avoid in your garden. Most animals won’t eat plants other than grass but there are a few that can cause problems for your beloved pet.
Our nursery dog out in the meadow.
I’m Twix. Tammy, the MD of St Bridget Nurseries, is my mum so I probably have a little more plant knowledge than some other pets.
Sometimes other dogs, cats and I can, admittedly, eat anything on offer even when we shouldn’t. I’m a labrador so truthfully, I’m always eating! However, with this simple guide of what ‘us pets’ like, and don’t like, you can make sure that even if we do eat something in the house or garden our health will be OK (even if we are in the dog’s house)!
We know that indoor plants are trendy and good for your health but I was so confused when i first saw a tree inside at the Garden Centre. There are loads of indoor plants that dogs really don’t mind, but you can’t blame us if we accidentally knock a pot or two over! The following are fine
I’m mostly ok with indoor plants but please don’t keep Mother in Law’s Tongue because they are really toxic to me and my friends. Also, be careful about where you buy your plants- some pots have a cocoa shell mulch on top which is actually poisonous to us cats and dogs.
On behalf of pets universally, we are sorry to pet owners who are also garden enthusiasts as there are several outdoor plants we can’t stand and could make us quite poorly. These include;
Whilst most dogs won’t even glance at these, there are many that like to dog up plants and have a munch. All of the plants listed above can make us sick in various ways including tummy issues, vomiting, skin irritation and in many other nasty ways that I would rather avoid. I’m sure you would like to avoid the vet bill too?!
If you love some of these plants, you could try a hanging basket for the bedding plants to keep them out of reach of our mouths. Alternatively you could try a gated garden making a part of the garden we can’t get to. If you didn’t hide these plants well enough and you suspect that I have eaten one then you should really contact my vet immediately.
You could also plant species that won’t harm us. We absolutely love roses, sunflowers, pansies, petunias and gerberas. We can appreciate their beauty and we can try with all our might not to eat them; who knows if we will be successful! We also love all those smelly herbs like rosemary and thyme, the smell always tickles my nose when i run past and sometimes the strong flavour will put us off eating them.
If you aren’t sure, ask the team in store for more advice!
Clyst St. Mary
Sidmouth Road, Clyst St. Mary,
Exeter, Devon, EX5 1AE.
Telephone: 01392 876281
Email: gardening@stbridgetnurseries.co.uk
OPENING HOURS
Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm*
Sundays 10.00am to 4.00pm*
Bank Holidays 9.00am to 5.00pm Closed (25/26 Dec)
*Cafe open until 4.30pm each day and until 3.30pm on Sundays.
