If you’ve followed along through Chapter 2, you now have a plot of the landscaping you’d like to have, at least in rough outline. Now we can start filling in some of the details of that plan, so you can start actually buying, planting, and enjoying. When reading the plant selections, keep in mind your place on the climate zone map in Resources, and whether your gardens lie in sun or shade. Don’t be afraid to tweak your plans if some particular plants give you new and improved ideas. Remember to have some fun by including garden art, topiary, and other ways you can show your devotion to dogs.
Before you begin your planting, consult the following list and make sure you’ve considered all the hardscaping and accessories your yard will include, so you won’t plant a prize tree where the posthole for a fence corner will eventually need to go:
• Decks or Patios
• Fences (including gates) and Borders
• Walks, with or without steps
• Retaining walls
• Arbors or Pergolas
• Potting benches, Storage units
• Barbecue or outdoor fireplace
• Sandbox (digging pit), swings or doggie play equipment
• Seating and/or table and chairs
• Gazebos or other outdoor rooms
• Garden pools or swimming pools
• Lighting
• Irrigation (whether in-ground or hoses)
• Focal points (this might be a plant, but there could be something in your yard or a view from your yard that provides a natural choice)
Be sure your plans suit your lifestyle. If your idea of entertaining is taking everyone out to the newest restaurant, you probably don’t need a built-in barbecue. If you love playing fetch with your dog and hate pruning and weeding, formal garden design isn’t for you. If you love inviting over crowds of friends, including their dogs, you’ll probably appreciate a large expanse of patio or deck.
Consider your plans one last time before putting them into action.
A gravel “lawn” and rock gardens for those who don’t care for digging in the dirt.
Non-Plant Landscape Elements
Plenty of other books out there can tell you how to build a fence or deck or install a patio, and Chapter 4 will go into more detail on these subjects. Here, we’ll just look at your plans and some hardscape considerations for dogs.
In addition to traditional fencing solutions discussed in Chapter 2, fencing your deck can provide a safe outdoor enclosure for your dog. Entrances from the deck to the yard can be blocked with baby gates (which can be removed for entertaining) or permanent gates. You can even provide a potty area, whether it’s one you design and build yourself, or purchased units like the fence and fire hydrant design with a raised bed to hold a strip of turf. Frequent hosing and occasional sanitizing will keep it clean. If your deck area doesn’t provide shade, you can even purchase an outdoor dog bed with a shade fabric top.
Patios are rarely fenced, so you don’t have a ready-made dog enclosure. But most patio surfaces—concrete, brick, tile, stone of various types—provide an outdoor area free of mud or debris that can be tracked into the house. Some of these surfaces may tend to stay cool, offering a pleasant place for the dog to lie.
Most homes of any size feature either a deck or a patio.
Walks and steps have much the same considerations for both dogs and humans. They shouldn’t wobble or shift. They shouldn’t be slippery. They should be wide enough for a dog to run past a human without flinging either into the flowerbeds. You might want to keep in mind that older dogs often experience weakness in their hindquarters and have trouble negotiating steps—this will apply to any stairs to and from your deck, house, or anywhere else, too.
Be sure you have space for storage of any hazardous outdoor materials, and get in the habit of using it. You may have an enclosed section under your potting bench, an outbuilding, or just storage space in the garage, but make sure the dog can’t get into any herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, or other garden products. Even tools left lying around the yard can result in injuries.
If your barbecue’s not built in, make sure the dog can’t tip it over. Propane-powered grills are usually square enough and heavy enough to stand up to running dogs, especially if placed close to a wall or fence. Round kettle charcoal cookers are more vulnerable to being tipped. Keep them out of traffic zones.
Don’t let the dog run like a wild thing through tables and chairs and then expect him not to do the same when you have company. Pushing chairs under tables when they’re not in use and grouping chairs, end tables, and container plants to form solid-appearing masses will encourage the dog to run elsewhere. Of course you have given the dog some room to romp in your plans to help avoid these problems.
Pools can be as hazardous to dogs as they are to small children. Either fence them as required by law in many areas, cover them, or teach the dog how to get out if he should happen to fall in. Regular steps starting underwater, not vertical metal ladders, are an essential part of pools around dogs. More on dogs and water safety in the next chapter.
Water features in the garden are usually either shallow enough not to be a hazard, or provide easier exit than slick-sided swimming pools. They can even be a solution to dog traffic problems. Kathy Burkholder, Program Coordinator, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at Ohio State University, says, “I put in a small water garden in a heavily trafficked area where nothing would grow. The dogs have no choice now but to walk around the water garden.” Though be aware that some water lovers, such as Labs, Newfoundlands or Portuguese water dogs, might just as easily decide you put that water hole there for their enjoyment.
Any electrical cords or connections for lighting should be secure from dogs. In-ground lighting and sprinklers for irrigation systems can both trip up running dogs, and should be kept out of the way as much as possible.
Once you’re satisfied with all the aesthetic and safety considerations of your hardscaping and other details, it’s on to the plants.
Container Planting
One way to avoid problems with dogs digging up or trampling plants is to garden in containers. Burkholder, who shares her small yard with a Golden Retriever, a German Shepherd, and a Doberman Pinscher, includes about forty containers in her planting plan. She uses many of them for annuals to add color to the sturdier shrubby perimeter plantings.
Choose plants that appeal to you, of course, but also keep suitability in mind.
Containers can bring plants into any area and help keep them safe from dogs.
Containers provide accents on decks or patios, and the containers themselves can add interest or even color. You can develop almost any garden style you desire with careful choice of containers and the plants you put in them. One lingering potential dog problem—if your dog is male and your pots are low enough, he may be inclined to water your plants and you may find them suffering for it. Use taller pots, elevate them on bricks or cinder blocks, or train your dog to go only in the area you choose.
Selecting Plants
When you are deciding what to plant where, the dog isn’t your only (or probably even your first) consideration. But making him one of your considerations will save money, bad feelings, and the need to start over.
Any specific plant recommendations may or may not ft the temperature zone in which you live or your relationship with your dog. I garden in Zone 8 in the Pacific Northwest, and rhododendrons and heather figure largely in my landscape. I wouldn’t recommend either to anyone having problems with their dog dashing around and breaking things because they tend to be somewhat brittle. But my dogs simply don’t enter those gardens. The lavender garden, on the other hand, they dash through with great abandon. I put it in after the dogs were already here, it’s across a major dog play pathway, and it doesn’t seem to hurt the lavender and it makes the dogs smell nice. So you have to decide what’s right for you, and consult your local nurseryperson, Master Gardener, or cooperative extension agent if you need other choices.
TREES AND SHRUBS
Start with the “bones” of the garden, as the designers might say. If you have existing trees on your property, they might already be large enough not to be impacted by the dog, and you’re off to a head start. If you don’t, or you want to add more trees, consider what you want from them.
Remember, if you provide a recognizable edge to your flower beds, you make it easier for your dog to recognize off-limits areas.
If it’s shade you’re after, you want a tree with a spreading canopy rather than an upright columnar choice. Also think about what you’re trying to shade and when you most want it to be shaded when siting your tree. For shading your home, deciduous trees work well because they allow more warmth and light in the winter. The density of the tree’s foliage determines whether the areas beneath will be in deep shade (where only shade-loving plants will grow) or filtered shade (with many more plant options).
Trees to be used for screening had better be evergreen, unless the problem to be screened exists only in the summer. Many evergreens grow too tall to be of any use as a screen, their lowest branches well above eye level, so make your choice with mature height in mind.
Also consider where tree roots will be going. Willows and alders are notorious water seekers, and will quickly invade pipes, drains, and septic fields. Other trees with surface roots can lift and crack nearby drives, walks, or foundations. They can also trip up unwary dogs or humans and are not recommended for most home gardens.
This Dove tree (Davidia involverata) along the river provides a good anchor for a garden area.
Puppies will be particularly prone to investigating every tiny change to their surroundings.
Trees litter, there’s no denying it, but some do it more than others. Eucalyptus trees drop an abundance of leaves, twigs, and bark. While the scent is said to have some anti-insect properties, most people object to the mess. Some ornamental fruit trees look beautiful in bloom, but then drop fruit and make a mess. Investigate what litter your tree choices throw down.
Many neighborhoods now push up against woods as communities expand ever outward, and fire becomes a concern for homeowners. Trees such as conifers and eucalyptus contain volatile oils and burn readily. Other trees, including Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum), pepper tree (Drimys lanceolata), European mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) do not combust so easily. If you live in a fire-hazard area, a wide firebreak around the house would be a good idea.
To help trees and shrubs prosper in the presence of dogs, it helps to buy large specimens. Little sticks with scarcely any branches aren’t likely to impress many dogs with the need to respect their presence. Bigger specimens offer more instant enjoyment anyway. Of course, larger specimens are more expensive and involve more work to plant, but they’re worth the trouble. Because newly turned dirt can attract dogs to dig, be sure that you’ve trained your dog to use a digging pit (see Chapter 9) or protect the tree and its surrounding dirt with a wire enclosure until the tree is well-established.
Pines of all sorts generally prove impervious to dogs.
Kathy Burkholder supports the idea of buying larger trees and shrubs, noting, “My Golden has taken out entire small shrubs chasing her tennis balls.” She also is experimenting with the idea of woody shrubs that can be cut to the ground in early spring, such as redtwig dogwood. “These shrubs are capable of sending up new stem growth,” she observes, “so breakage from past years isn’t as life-threatening or as visible.”
The horticultural experts make several excellent suggestions for selecting trees and shrubs that will coexist with dogs. In general, faster-growing woody plants tend to break more easily. So while you may want the satisfaction of a tree that matures rapidly, be aware that you may need to offer the tree more protection. Look for trees with limber branches, such as ornamental willows. Any trees that bend gracefully in the wind will likely bend equally well when a dog goes crashing by. Visit the nursery on a windy day and observe which trees and shrubs bend easily.
If the tree is large enough that the trunk is not in danger of breaking, you can help avoid problems by “limbing up,” removing the tree’s lower branches to above your dog’s height. Leave at least a third of the tree’s branches in place, and it should do well.
You can find plenty of recommendations for shade trees, accent trees, shrubs for screening (pruned or natural), and accent shrubs in almost any landscaping book. The following list of recommendations includes only vigorous growers that have proven resistant to breakage, recommended for use around dogs.
From Susan Cruver at Tsunami Landscape Design:
• Serviceberry (Amelanchier), deciduous shrub or tree, depending on variety
• Ninebark (Physocarpus), deciduous shrub
• Mock orange (Philadelphus), deciduous shrub
• Mallow (Lavatera), evergreen or deciduous shrub, depending on variety
• Japanese spiraea (Spiraea japonica), deciduous shrub
• Salal (Gaultheria shallon), evergreen shrub—other Gaultheria varieties may also work well
• Evergreen huckleberry (Gaylussacia), evergreen shrub or small tree
• Japanese holly (Ilex crenata), evergreen shrub or small tree
From Josh Schneider, representative for Proven Winners™ plant line:
• Sweetspire (Itea), evergreen or deciduous shrub or tree—specifically recommends varieties Henry’s garden and Little Henry
• Dogwood (Cornus), deciduous shrub or small tree—specifically recommends varieties redtwig (C. alba) and yellowtwig (C. servica ‘Flaviramea’)
From Danielle Young, Skagit Gardens:
• Hydrangea, deciduous shrub or small tree (also climbing varieties). Note that a new hydrangea, called Endless Summer, will become available at about the same time as this book. Unlike other hydrangeas, it blooms on new wood, so any breakage will not mean loss of flowers for a whole year. It also means it blooms all summer long.
Butterfly bush adds drama and wildlife attraction.
• Peony (Paeonia), some are herbaceous, but some are woody shrubs
• Serbian spruce (Picea omorika), columnar tree, with some dwarf varieties
• Lilac (Syringa), deciduous shrubs or small trees
• Pine (Pinus), many species of evergreen trees
• Pieris, evergreen shrub
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus), evergreen shrub
• Viburnum, evergreen or deciduous shrub or occasionally tree, attractive to wildlife, often fragrant, good for screening a dog potty area
• Abelia, deciduous or evergreen shrub
• Butterfly bush (Buddleia), evergreen or deciduous shrub, tree, or climber, with strong fragrance, attractive to butterflies
• Quince (Cydonia), deciduous shrub or tree •
Flower carpet roses exist well with most dogs.
I’ve found the small shrub to high groundcover cotoneaster, once established, to be tough, beautiful, and quite successful in my gardens. The dogs don’t seem to like stepping on it, and the plant has proven impervious to the occasional trampling when dogs are in hot pursuit of squirrels.
The experts disagree on the advisability of using plants with thorns in the canine-accessible landscape. Some advocate using roses, barberries, or fruiting berries as barriers to the dog. This may work with thin-skinned Greyhounds or Whippets or placid Bloodhounds, at least when not following a scent. But it’s not likely to discourage heavily coated breeds or those intent on prey. Others worry about the thorns inflicting injuries on the dogs, but admit they haven’t had problems themselves other than the occasional scratch. I have both barberry and rose in my landscape. The smaller dog avoids both while the larger dog jumps over the barberry and avoids the rose. The low-lying flower carpet rose keeps my dogs away, but a friend’s Bernese Mountain Dog was singularly unimpressed, and walked through them as if they were lawn. A new innovation called Modern Antique Roses may also be useful because they are compact, grow on their own roots, and offer repeat blooms, so minor damage isn’t as likely or as detrimental.
Steve Frowine, Horticulturalist, notes that dwarf conifers are becoming increasingly popular, especially in the last several years. Their small size and low maintenance ft today’s often-small yards and hectic lifestyles. They are generally compact, tough, often somewhat prickly, and given respect by dogs. Even if the dog crashes through them, dwarf conifers have a tight growth habit that’s largely impervious to occasional rough treatment. Because they are available in various colors and variegations, they can add year-round color to the landscape. In the United States, they will grow well in all but the Southeast.
Check out any of the recommendations and see if they ft your landscaping plans. Ask your nurseryperson for other choices. Shrubs and trees described as attractive to wildlife generally will stand up fairly well to dogs.
Massing plantings, at least for shrubs and tall herbaceous plants, helps to keep dogs out. Any damage is also somewhat less visible. Just remember to allow for growth, or you will find yourself having to transplant some years down the road.
Arbors, trellises, pergolas—you can design almost anything your heart desires.
VINES AND CLIMBERS
Some dog-specific areas of the landscape are particularly appropriate for climbing plants. They can climb the wire of a dog run (remember not to block the dog’s view of the house or other important areas) for camouflage, or grace the entrance to the approved potty area. Many are vigorous growers, and many also bear fragrant flowers, useful in masking any odors that may result from the potty area or run. Check for hardiness in your zone, and if you’re planning to use vines for screening, check that they are evergreen and don’t die back to the ground in the winter. Also consider the litter they create. Wisteria is lovely in bloom, but rains down flowers and seedpods all around it. The seedpods are listed as toxic, said to cause severe stomach upset. Better not to plant it where it will be easily available to the dog unless you plan on cleaning up several times a day. Why take a chance? Be aware that many fast-growing vines can be quite invasive, finding their way into window air conditioning units or under window frames or siding. Placed on the fencing of a dog run, they don’t have much to invade.
Clematis and honeysuckle cloak the structure of a garden swing.
There are some great bonuses of including climbing plants in your landscape. You can ft more plants into the same amount of ground space (if variety is the spice of your life), create the illusion of more space by screening part of the view, hide an unattractive fence, or give plants that are marginal in your zone a little extra warmth by planting them against a south-facing wall. If you are providing support rather than using a fence or run, you have a number of choices to suit your style.
Danielle Young of Skagit Gardens offers a few recommendations:
• Honeysuckle (Lonicera), comes as a shrub or climbing vine, evergreen or deciduous, very often fragrant, and an impressively fast grower. Some varieties, notably L. japonica, are considered invasive.
• Clematis, herbaceous perennial or shrub, evergreen or deciduous, some varieties fragrant, with a huge variety of flowering seasons and colors and a vigorous growth habit
• Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris, H. seemannii, or H. serratifolia), first is deciduous and hardy, other two are evergreen and tender, but all are vigorous climbers, and Young reports no ill effects from vines being peed on
• Buddleia madagascariensis (climbing butterfly bush), vigorous and highly attractive but very tender (hardy only to about 40 degrees F)
Dog owner Mandy Book suggests climbing jasmine for its strong fragrance and vigorous growth, but it will only work in warmer areas, as most choices are only hardy to zone 8 or even 9. I have found climbing roses effective (though they don’t really climb, you have to tie them in place).
HERBACEOUS PLANTS (PERENNIALS AND ANNUALS)
Whether low border plants or taller back-of-the-bed plants, these flowering choices don’t withstand a lot of interaction with dogs. The small ones are generally easily trampled, and the taller ones are often easily broken. Planting them in definite beds and training the dog to stay out of the beds will work best for everyone. If you use some screening, fencing, or staking to protect the bed while plants are young, the dog will often form the habit of avoiding the bed and will continue to do so even after the barrier is removed. This isn’t true of all dogs—some have to explore every inch of new territory—but at least the plants will be bigger and better able to withstand a little abuse.
Dense stands of Rudbeckia present an attractive and solid appearance.
Literally thousands of choices exist, for every zone and seemingly every garden spot, so you will really have to consider and select what’s right for you. Here are just a few “dog-friendly” selections from the experts.
Several horticulturalists recommended Sedge (Carex) varieties. One, a dog owner herself, reported that C. flagellifera just springs right back when laid on or even rolled on by her dogs. These clumping grass-like plants come in a variety of heights and colors, some even variegated. With any grasses, be careful that they do not produce barbed seeds (like foxtails) that can lodge in dogs’ ears or burrow under the skin. Other dog-owning gardeners report good success with Russian sage, a plant rapidly gaining in popularity for its attractive form, foliage, and fragrance.
Danielle Young of Skagit Gardens again offers her recommendations:
• Coneflower (Rudbeckia, specifically recommended R. goldsturm), also includes the variety known as black-eyed Susan; a plant that will naturalize and can take being crashed through by a dog
• Rock rose or sun rose (Helianthemum), a low spreading shrub that can withstand some foot traffic. (I have found these extremely hardy in my own gardens, standing up to not only my dogs, but my bad habit of dragging hoses through them.)
• Rock rose or sun rose (Cistus) (this is why common plant names get so confusing!), also a low spreading shrub, but not hardy across as many zones as Helianthemum
• Foxglove (Digitalis), highly popular in English cottage style gardens, with showy blooms. Though the plants themselves are not particularly long-lived, they self-seed freely. These plants truly are deadly if eaten, so do not plant them in areas your dog frequents if your dog has a habit of chewing on plants.
• Aster, perennial varieties, very fast growers with blooms in nearly every color of the rainbow, ranging from groundcovers to four feet tall
• Dahlias offer spectacular blooms, and while they can easily be knocked down by boisterous dogs, they do take being peed on without complaint
• Columbine (Aquilegia), another rainbow of colors on a plant that seems able to take any kind of abuse and still spread like wildfire
• Bellflower (Campanula), specifically the low crawling types such as C. Birch hybrid, which spreads by underground runners and can withstand some abuse
• Violet, garden pansy (Viola), available in many colors and sizes, some tougher than others, many fragrant
The success of this bed will depend on what might attract the dog through it, but there is plenty of open space around it for travel.
GROUNDCOVERS
As far as groundcovers that will stand up to energetic play and heavy foot traffic, lawn is still the hardiest choice available. But if you have a sedate dog who just follows you about and lies nearby, other groundcovers will do well. If you have areas that don’t see much foot traffic at all but need to be covered with some form of vegetation, you have many more choices.
I’ve already mentioned Carex, and though not specifically a ground cover, it does cover ground and stand up well to doggie activities. Woolly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus) makes another excellent choice, hugging tight to the ground, putting on fragrant pink flowers, and accepting foot traffic with ease. I have had excellent luck with this choice. I also found Chamomile (Chameamelum) to be good in lesser-traveled areas, with the bonus of releasing fragrance when stepped on.
Kathy Burkholder recommends, from experience with her three dogs:
• Lilyturf (Liriope). She has used Liriope muscari, a clumping variety, and it’s been holding up well. A creeping variety, L. spicata, is also a good choice, spreading by underground rhizomes and tolerating heavy foot traffic.
• Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii), a clumping variety. Though be aware that this may attract cats and present problems of its own.
Susan Cruver offers the following recommendations:
• Kinnikinick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) is actually a shrub, but so close to the ground and so tough that she rates it “a champ.”
• Stepables™. This is actually an entire proprietary line of plants developed to be groundcovers that tolerate at least some foot traffic. The website (www.stepables.com) advises on the amount of light the plant needs, the zones in which it’s hardy, the preferred type of soil, the color of the plant, and how much foot traffic it can withstand (light, moderate, or heavy). Miniature brass buttons (Cotula/Leptinella gruveri) and Rupturewort (Herniaria glabra) are two perennials recommended as good for heavy traffic. But there are dozens of choices.
Josh Schneider recommends these that can take some foot traffic:
• Verbena Tapien Blue-Violet
• Monopsis Bronze Beauty
• Sutera (but still widely known as Bacopa), Snowstorm variety
Danielle Young recommends:
• Sweet woodruff (Gallium). I planted this as a groundcover under rhododendrons, and after it started swarming over the dwarf ones, tried to get rid of it. It’s still there. Very hardy and vigorous, some would say invasive.
• Corsican mint (Mentha requienii) forms a mat of peppermint-scented leaves. (But note that Pennyroyal, a related mint often touted for flea control, has caused spontaneous abortions and other health problems in dogs.)
• Pearlwort (Sagina), an extremely low-growing, dense matting perennial.
Bulbs add a spectacular display to a garden, and planted en masse can discourage dog travel.
OTHER PLANT ODDS AND ENDS
One plant category we haven’t covered anywhere else is bulbs. Many of these are excellent choices around dogs because the foliage is bitter and most dogs won’t touch it. Bulbs work well in the dog friendly garden because while urine may burn the leaves it is unlikely to harm the bulb itself. They will keep coming back year after year.
Some flowers from bulbs do better in the presence of canines than others. Miek Step, project manager with the International Flower Bulb Centre, highly recommends any from the Narcissi group, which includes not just narcissus itself, but daffodils and others. They bend easily, rather than snapping, when dogs push through them. The smaller hyacinths and botanical tulips also make good choices for their sturdiness, and if gardeners simply have to have the larger tulips most people picture when they hear “tulip,” Miek says the Darwin Hybrid varieties feature big sturdy stems. I’ve found that many sorts of iris planted against the wall of an outbuilding have done well, even with the dogs occasionally tearing through them in pursuit of the squirrel that lives in the loft of the building. Shorter varieties such as grape hyacinth may be stepped on and squashed, but won’t be so susceptible to being completely snapped off.
As with other plant varieties, planting en masse makes a more impressive showing to be enjoyed by the humans and left undamaged by the dogs. Bulbs can be planted in the same ground as perennials, growing up through them for an even denser, more impressive display. If your dog is a male, avoid planting bulbs in rings around trees, or risk having them “watered” regularly by the dog, as well as stepped on as he lifts his leg.
Bulbs work well as container plantings and different varieties can be planted at different depths in the same pot, for a succession of blooms. See Chapter 4 for general advice on planting in containers in the presence of dogs.
Because many bulbs bloom early in the year, they not only brighten the spring garden, they flower without attracting bees and flies (who have not become active yet). Bees may be great for pollination, but their buzzing seems to annoy or excite many dogs and entice them into leaping through the flowers in hot pursuit. This certainly doesn’t benefit the flowers, and can be a misery to the dog who ends up being stung.
Garden ponds enjoy great popularity right now, and you can find ready-made pools in a variety of sizes and shapes, pond liners if you prefer to dig your own, pumps and fountains of all sorts, and a great variety of plants for both the water’s edge and deeper water. Personally, I think water lilies are one of the finest, prettiest plants anyone can include in their garden plans. The caveat, of course, is that water-loving dogs may see this as a wonderful new addition for their entertainment. But if your dog would rather see the vet than get wet, your water garden has got it made. (See the next chapter for more details on garden ponds.)
Some dog-owning gardeners may find good luck with rock gardens. The plants are small alpine types, not quite so prone to breakage, and the rocks provide something of a vertical barrier. It’s a most attractive way to garden. Some good possibilities include:
Some topiary comes pre-made— you just have to tend it.
• Alpine rockcress (Arabis alpina)
• Snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum) (I have this in my gardens and actually have to work to keep it under control.)
• Thrift (Armeria maritima)
• Moss sandwort (Minuartia verna)
• Coral bells (Heuchera sanguinea) (Another plant with which I’ve had particularly good luck.)
• Creeping baby’s breath (Gypsophila repens)
• Creeping penstemon (Penstemon caespitosus)
• Mother-of-thyme (Thymus serpyllum)
• Sweet violet (Viola odorata) (Adorning the slopes at my brother’s house, where the dogs charge through it regularly with no ill effects.)
• Creeping speedwell (Veronica repens)
The final plant type has nothing to do with keeping plants safe from dogs, but can be an expression of your joint love of dogs and gardens. It’s topiary. I saw quite a bit of topiary on a tour of England, and the best dog representation I saw was a whole length of hedge whose top depicted a fox being pursued by a pack of hounds. You could use topiary to style a hedge or an individual plant, or even use a wire armature form covered in ivy.
Garden Ornaments
It’s not all plants and patios in the landscape. Garden architecture and ornaments of all kinds provide interest, a focal point, a reason for a path to curve, even a barrier. But you need to consider the dog when choosing and placing these additions.
Garden ornaments of various styles.
Gazing balls have been popular in gardens for a long time, and now they’re available in various colors and sizes, with or without stands to place them on. Think of them as giant glass Christmas ornaments and treat them accordingly— being knocked over is likely to result in an explosion of glass shards. I have a gazing ball, nestled safely between a fence and a garden pool, with a Korean lilac in front and a spirea behind. No dog has ever ventured into that area, the globe rises just above the lilac, and the combination is visually pleasing whether the plants are in bloom or not. A gazing ball sitting in solitary splendor in the center of a courtyard, as you often see them in photographs, may be an invitation to an accident.
Metal yard art has also become popular recently. I include it in my yard (all representing dogs, of course), but each piece is nestled under a fruit tree next to the trunk, or planted amid some substantial pilings. The dog isn’t likely to harm the art, but the art might harm the dog. Laurie Fox tells about a friend with a dog. “The dog was running into the house and got caught on one of those sculptures made out of shovels and garden utensils, and it ripped a place on the dog’s side and they had to take him to the vet. So use that stuff sparingly or in areas you know the pets are not going to be around.”
Concrete or stone sculptures are pretty impervious to dogs unless they are small pieces that could be knocked off an elevated platform and broken. They pose little or no hazard to dogs unless the stone has sharp edges. Birdbaths often end up being handy dog drinking fountains, so make sure they are stabilized well.