The Impossible Duo .......... Dogs and Beautiful Garden

We love our dogs, they rule our homes, unfortunately when we let them outside they also seem to rule our gardens!!!

Mud puddles, holes, and yellow spots .......... not really the look you were probably going for, but luckily there are ways to let these two arch enemies live together in unison.

Follow a few simple rules and you and your furry best friend can enjoy your outside space safely and happily.

#1 Ensure your Plants are Safe

Make sure your garden is safe for your pet, many plants are poisonous or toxic to dogs so make sure you know what is safe to plant. Here is a great link:

http://www.aspca.org/toxicplants

#2 Lower your irrigation and your gardens need for water

Not only is using less water in your garden more sustainable, but it also is much safer for your pet. Here in Hawaii we have Leptosporosis which dogs can get from drinking still water (even puddles) as well as very dangerous centipedes and frogs which love to live in cool damp places, so by choosing drought tolerant plants and lowering your irrigation, you are not only making your garden safer for your dog, your also helping the environment, and in return there are less muddy areas for your dog to be attracted to.

#3 Minimize lawn areas:

Lawns are the least most sustainable or environmentally friendly part of any residential garden. they require a lot of water, fertilizer and pesticide ......... none of which are safe for your dog.

Try using alternatives such as mix of ground covers that are dog tolerant and soft pea gravel or stepping stones that are easy on your pets feet and don't get yellow spots when being used as a toilet!!!

#4 Incorporate trees and large shrubs

"Gardens should be designed from the Sky down" is the philosophy of one of my previous employers and great friends. Starting with trees to create a frame work for your garden, then moving onto larger shrubs and lastly choosing your perennials and flowers, not only creates beautiful gardens, it supplies shade for your home which in turn means you need less air conditioning, and gives your pet nice cool shade to lie in (which by the way is why they dig holes in the soil and lie in them!!!)

#5 Use old logs and branches as barriers:

In the tropical forests, old trees fall down and the natural cycle is for them to become 'Nurse Logs' as other plants grow on them and use them for stability and natural fertilizer as the logs break down.

Try using old logs or branches from the trees in your yard when you have pruned them. Place them along the edges of your garden to stop dogs from entering the planted space. To make them more interesting, try growing orchids on them or let a large Monstera, crawl over them. It creates a third dimension to grow plants, as well as minimizing waste and letting mother nature take it's course. As the branches break down, they will give nutrition to the garden as well as giving a home for predatory insects (for Aphids and Mealybug) which is a natural biological control minimizing any need for pesticide.

We all need to live in unison on this earth , so by following a few easy steps, we can share our garden space with Dogs, Bugs, Butterflies and all the while help to protect our environment!!!