Make your own free website on Tripod.com

Ruffin's Pet Centre, Simcoe

Pet Safe Gardening
Home
Coming soon
About our PUPPIES
About our KITTENS
About our REPTILES
About our BIRDS & SMALL ANIMALS
About our FISH
RUFFIN'S PET POINTS PROGRAM
PHOTOS
LINKS

Just because you own pets, doesn't mean you can't have a beautiful flower garden to enjoy for the season. Here is a partial list of "safe" plants for gardens that pets may frequent. Our "safe" plants are ones that are non-toxic if touched or consumed. This is an incomplete list, as there are many more choices that would suit these lists, however the plants listed are the more popular, hardy and easy to aquire.

Annuals are plants that last for one growing season and will not return naturally the following season. Perennials will return year after year.

Safe Plants for a Sunny Location
These plants will need 4 or more hours of direct sunlight a day.

Annuals
Zinnia (Zinnia sp.)
Snapdragons (Antirrhinum sp.)
Cosmos (Cosmos sp.)
Calendula (Callendula sp.)
Petunia (Petunia sp.)

Perennial
Bee Balm (Monarda sp.)
Phlox (Phlox sp.)
Roses (Rose sp.)
Catmint/catnip (Nepeta sp.)
Coneflowers (Echinacea purpura)

 


Safe Plants for Partial Sun
These plants are great for a location that receives less than 4 hours of direct sunlight a day.

Annuals
Primrose (Primula sp.)
Butterfly flower (Schianthus sp.)
Spider flower (Cleome sp.)
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum sp.)

Perennials
Columbine (Aquilegia sp.)
Coral Bells (Heuchera sp.)
Turf Lilly (Liriope sp.)
Goat's Beard (Aruncus dioicus)

 


Shade Gardens
A shade garden receives little to no direct sunlight, although the sun may filter through the trees for dappled light.

Annuals
Begonia (Begonia sp.)
Impatiens (Impatiens sp.)
New Guinea Impatiens
Violet (Viola sp.)
Coleus (Coleus sp.)

Perennials
Hosta (Hosta sp.)
Bugbane (Cimifuga racemosa)
Yellow Corydalis (Corydalis lutea)
Astilbe (Astilbe sp.)
Queen of the Meadow (Filipendula ulmaria)

 


Alternatives to Chemical Pesticides

If you notice damaging insects on your plants such as aphids, spider mites or thrips, these insects can be eliminated or reduced by a simple spray of water. These soft-bodied insects are easily dislodged. Adjust the nozzle of your hose so a firm spray will not harm your plants and wash them away. If you have only a few plants, use a good stream of water from your watering can and a little hand washing. It may take a day or two but an infestation can be cleared by no more than a good shower!

If your insect problem is more serious, add a teaspoon of dish soap to a gallon of water and use it in a garden sprayer. The soap is an irritant to a lot of insects and can help break down the protective barriers of their external skeleton. There are commercial insecticidal soaps available that are less toxic than most chemical alternatives.

Compost

The "black gold" of the garden, recycled kitchen and yard waste can be combined to produce the best garden fertilizer at no cost and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. It can be applied to the lawn and garden twice a year and it will replace the essential nutrients that growing plants and grasses require.

Ruffin's Pet Centre
140 Queensway East
Simcoe, Ontario
(519) 426-7441
 
We are located in the Simcoe Mall, beside the Canadian Tire.
 
All text and pictures are property of Ruffin's Pet Centre. © Copyright 2007
We do not endorse or support any of the advertisers listed at the top or bottom of this page.