If you are a keen gardener and also have a dog you can experience problems. While gardening involves digging and dogs love to dig they do not generally do it in the right place. Dogs can also chew on your favorite flowers and some of these like sweet peas and lily of the valley are highly toxic and so a danger to your pet. I found an article by Sal on her Woofwagwalk blog where she explains how she manages to create a dog friendly garden.

Spring has well and truly arrived and with the warm weather we?ve been experiencing of late there?s a sense that summer is just round the corner. Time then to get out in the garden and start enjoying long afternoons sipping on Pimms or dog beer! For many of us dog owners though the reality is nothing like the dream, our fluffy canine partners start digging here or munching on a flower head there and before you know it you?re both left stressed out. Not only can this cause a bit of conflict but for our pooches nibbling on some poisonous plants can be fatal and others can cause a nasty upset stomach or skin rash. There is a fairly comprehensive list by the Kennel Club here?of poisonous and toxic plants but some of the most dangerous are Sweet Pea, Yew, and Lily of the Valley which it would be wise to avoid altogether.


So I?ve made a huge decision, I?m going to totally redesign our garden and make it a safe, dog friendly space for Maya to enjoy. The decision to make big changes was a great excuse for a trip to a garden centre and I was delighted to find that a couple near me allowed dogs in their premises. We went to Coleta &Tyson Garden Centre?which is local to us and it was incredibly dog friendly.. Maya just loves attention and she got quite a bit here from customers and staff alike. There was a big pet department too, so of course treats were duly purchased.- who could say no to that little face. The range of pots, and planters was amazing. in fact it was so vast that I only bought a couple of terracotta pots that day as ?I need to mull it over before I decide on the styles I want. I think growing flowers in pots will also save the blooms from the over exuberant zoomies that Maya likes to indulge in as well. No more trampled flowers for me!.I bought loads of seeds at the garden centre for my borders, ?sun flowers, geraniums and nasturtiums are all really easy and safe to grow with canines around. Really hope that those of you who follow me on Instagram will see some spectacular floral backdrops in my images of Maya, (don?t hold your breath though!!)

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