At the onset of your plans for building a pet-friendly garden, spend a good amount of time learning about which plants are good for pets and which ones aren’t. A lot of plants are poisonous for dogs, cats, and other pets, so choosing safe plants is a good idea in case your tenant’s pet decides to take a bite. If your property already has existing plants, inspect each one, making an inventory of which ones might be toxic. If there are any, remove the entire plant and root structure. Do not use chemicals or poisons on the plants, as these can harm pets as well.
After careful planning of which plants to include in your garden, move on towards designing the layout. Pet-friendly gardens often use features like sturdy border plants, planting containers, raised beds, and fences to control which parts of the yard the pet will be able to access. Using large, sturdy plants as a barrier around more delicate plants can help keep pets from trampling and urinating in places you don’t want them to. Container gardening, especially hanging baskets and railing planters can help place garden plants out of reach. Also, certain inexpensive or decorative fencing can serve to encourage pets to use certain areas of the yard while keeping them away from others.
Alternative types of deterrents include adding specific varieties of spices and pungent plants with smells that pets don’t like. As an example, rosemary, sage, and bitter orange plants may keep a curious dog away due to their strong odor. Some experts recommend planting Coleus Canina, sometimes called Dogbane, in areas where pets aren’t wanted. To ward the pets off, this plant has an overpowering smell that most cats and some dogs don’t like. However, the scent is barely noticeable to humans.
Lastly, it is vital to take into account what type of fertilizer you are using on your plants. Many varieties of fertilizer and even mulch can be harmful to household pets. Even though your tenant’s pets have unsupervised access to the garden, it’s best to err on the side of caution. In deciding to choose non-toxic varieties of both fertilizer and mulch, you can help in facilitating to create a pet-safe garden that your tenant will love.
A bit of organizing and planning can go a long way in designing a beautiful garden that is as alluring as it is safe to withstand the ordinary activities of household pets.
Allow our team of Renton property managers at Real Property Management Eclipse to assist you in making certain that tenants will be glad and happy with a pet-friendly garden in their homes. Don’t hesitate to contact us online or give us a ring at 425-209-0252 to know more about what we can do for you.