Creating A Pet Friendly Garden

If you share your home with a beloved furry creature, then ensuring your outdoor space is safe for them is a must – so how do you create a pet friendly garden?

We humans are renowned for our love of animal companionship. Whether you share your home with a curious cat, delightful dog, or even an honourable horse, each of these furry creatures rely on you to provide a safe and comfortable environment for them to reside in – and that includes your garden.

Most pets are outdoor creatures by nature, so it’s only natural that they enjoy spending time in your backyard or garden as much as you do. Cats are often fans of using tree stumps as scratching poles, while dogs will happily lie in the shade with you while you potter around doing the weeding. As such, outdoor landscaping while keeping your furry friends in mind is all about creating a space that is both hardy and safe in order to share it with them – but what does creating a pet friendly garden actually involve?

Five Tips For Establishing A Pet Friendly Garden 

To ensure that your pets and your plants can happily co-exist together, it’s important that both receive your consideration when creating or tweaking the outdoor areas of your home. While some factors such as having the appropriate fencing may seem obvious, there are also a few more subtle things to consider when creating a pet friendly garden. 

Pet Friendly Plants – Many homeowners are unaware of just how many plants are actually toxic to cats and dogs, with some of the most common culprits being aloe vera, daffodil, baby’s breath, carnations and lilies. Even if your pet isn’t a ‘chewer’, it’s important to be aware of the unintended effects of some of these plants before you add them to your home. 

Nature Calls – Most dog owners are all too familiar with those unsightly yellow spots on their lawn, which is caused by the nitrogen and salts from their urine. As an alternative, try to establish a designated spot in your backyard or garden for your pets to do their business. If lawn issues persist, try watering it into the grass as this can actually be beneficial through nutrients. 

Cut Back On Chemicals – Homeowners should be very careful when using chemical based pest control, fertilisers or herbicides, as these can have tragic results for your pets if they ingest it. Thankfully, there are plenty of natural alternatives now on the market when it comes to pet friendly weed killers and plant food products. 

Avoid Bare Dirt – Unfortunately, bare dirt in garden beds is an open invitation for animals to start digging, so consider mulch, straw or rocks as a deterrent. Adding new plants like larger-sized trees, shrubs and perennials, they’re more likely to survive the process of living with your pets. If all else fails, try a temporary wire enclosure as a means to keep your pets out. 

Seal Your Containers – Whether it’s your compost, garbage bins or even the garden shed, it’s your responsibility to ensure that animals and pets can’t gain access to storage areas that they’re not supposed to be in. If possible try to keep these components of your garden in separate fenced areas away from your pets. 

When creating a pet friendly garden, aim to provide some form of shade so that animals both domesticated and wild have somewhere to retreat to away from the midday sun. Water bowls, toys, access to food and somewhere comfortable to have a nap are also important, particularly if they spend longer periods of time in this area of your home without you.

The type of products that you bring into your home can have enormous ramifications, particularly if you share the space with children or pets. As such, adopting naturally derived products instead of chemical based ones is always a good idea to ensure peace of mind – but where do you find them?

Introducing A Safer Way To Spray 

Bioweed is a natural, non selective weed killer that works fast on contact with the weed, in order to rapidly desiccate and burn even the most stubborn of plants. It can be used anywhere around the house including garden beds, veggie patches, paths and driveways, and is safe to use around children, animals and even native wildlife. 

The best part? Bioweed is the brainchild of well established agricultural leaders Greenpro, and is backed by over twenty years of research and development. Owned and manufactured in Australia, the primary ingredient of Bioweed is actually sustainably sourced pine oil, and is even approved by NASAA, ACO and APVMA for use around organic farms and food production. 

If you’re on the hunt for a pet friendly weed killer, or simply want to know more about eliminating weeds safely – check out other tips and tricks in our online advice forum, or contact us for any further queries.