How Landscaping Companies Create Pet-Friendly Backyards in Middletown, RI

Your backyard is one of your favorite places at your Middletown, RI, home, and if you’re a pet owner, it’s likely one of your furry friends’ favorite places too. However, many homeowners and pet owners don’t often consider the dangers that may be lurking among their favorite flowers and plants. Even if your pup is a good boy and doesn’t dig in the garden, certain common garden bed plants can be highly toxic and make your precious pet sick, or possibly worse. 

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The first step to backyard safety is removing unsafe plants from your landscape. These can include many different types of flowers and shrubs like peonies, trumpet honeysuckle, milkweed, and lupine. Your landscaper can identify which plants and flowers should be removed, and then suggest what kind of plants you can use to replace them. Some recommended pet-safe plants include the following. 

Magnolia Bush

These pet-safe shrubs offer beautiful blooms in white, purple or pink, and they enjoy the sunshine. Many people think of magnolias only as tall, stately trees, but they are available in stunning shrub form as well. 

African Daisies

Want to add a pop of color to your landscape? These pretty blooms are available in a huge range of colors, and they are drought tolerant as well. 

Camellias

While these plantings may take a little bit of time to get established, once they get going, you’ll have beautiful blooms every year. They require partial shade and little watering as well. 

Coral Bells

These low bushes sport small sprigs of tiny flowers, and they grow mounds of leaves in shades of green, orange or even black. They are also available in many different varieties, and they are a great garden filler. 

Daylilies

Hardy and ideal for full-sun, daylilies are a favorite among gardeners for adding a pop of low-maintenance color to landscapes. They are resilient, quick growers and, best of all, safe for your pets! 

Rosemary, Basil, Thyme, and Dill

These are good for you, and good for your pet too! These spice rack favorites not only fill out your garden beds beautifully, but they are edible and safe for humans and pups alike. Edible gardens are becoming popular again, and even if you don’t want to create your own pesto, they still make a lovely natural addition to any landscape. Be careful when choosing which edible plants to use in your garden, though, as some common herbs like parsley are toxic to dogs and cats. 

Northern Blueberry Bush

Blueberries are safe for dogs to eat, and they are also excellent shrubs to use for hedges and ornamental use. 

Fennel

Another edible plant, these licorice-flavored bulbs also offer beautiful feathery foliage. 

Red Maple Tree

The leaves of the red maple tree offer a gorgeous pop of color to your landscape that are also safe for dogs to eat. 

Garden Magnolias

Stunning and fragrant, these big and beautiful blooms help to deter beetles and other pests from entering your garden. 

Snapdragon 

Excellent for making your own flower arrangements, snapdragon is available in a number of varieties, colors, and sizes. 

If you are still unsure about what kind of plants may be lurking in your backyard, contact your landscaping company. They’ll be glad to help you investigate. 

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