How to Create the Perfect Pet-Friendly Garden

Now is the ideal time to start creating your pet-friendly garden! Summer brings a great window to get started with some gardening that many put off in the colder months. If you’re thinking of bringing a pet to your family home, you can prepare a wonderful pet-friendly garden for them to enjoy as they’re introduced to your property.

Perhaps you already own a pet, and you’re looking to create a new space for your companion to enjoy, especially in the summer. Regardless, your pet will greatly appreciate the opportunity to get some fresh air, even if it’s just to spend some time relaxing outdoors. The perfect pet-friendly garden can even help to develop your furry friend, particularly as they’re young, emphasising the benefits of spending some time on making your garden suitable. 

If you’re looking to get started with your garden transformation, we’ll be delving into our top considerations to create a well rounded pet-friendly garden.

Safety First

Making sure your garden is safe for pets is your top priority. Every part of your garden should be pet-friendly, and there should be nothing in it that could harm them. Discover some of the key things you should consider to create a safe garden.

Pet-Friendly Plants

Many homeowners’ main focus when it comes to creating their own perfect garden is to decorate it with flowers, plants, or even trees! However, creating a space that’s safe for your pets requires a little research before you start planting your flower beds. 

Common plants to avoid include daffodils, azaleas, and lilies - however, you should always be sure to research the specific plant, tree, or flower you’re buying to make sure they’re definitely pet friendly. You can also seek further advice on plants that are poisonous to pets via the PDSA’s article here. 

Some popular plants for pet owners include:

• Sunflowers

• Impatiens

• Petunias

• Camellias

• Rosemary

• Thyme

Safe Paving Materials

If you’re planning to incorporate paving within your garden, you should carefully consider your options in order to keep your pet safe. Gravel is a poor choice for pets, due to the loose stones that can be swallowed or inflict injury. Likewise, cocoa shells are also highly inappropriate for a pet-friendly garden, as they are highly toxic. One of your first tasks would be to ensure all materials in your garden are pet-friendly.

Instead, we recommend choosing paving slabs as a substitute for gravel. This is due to the smooth, easy impact, and low risk of the paving material. If you wish to incorporate something more natural - pet-safe mulches, such as bark chippings, are excellent pet-friendly options for your garden.

Secure Boundaries

Another important consideration that you will need to consider is that your garden is thoroughly secure. There should be no way for your pet to escape your garden (this won’t apply to cat owners), and there should be minimal risk of any other animals entering your garden from the outside, putting your pet at risk. 

Your fencing should be strong, sturdy, and secure, and shouldn't have any gaps or weaknesses where your pet can easily wander off. You should also make sure that gates are never left open while your pet is spending time in your garden - they must remain locked when not being used, and your pet should not be able to open them on their own.

Other Potential Hazards

If you’re looking to create the perfect pet-friendly garden, you must make sure that there are no obvious dangers to your pet. Any tools or equipment must be securely stored away from your pet. If you own a shed, and you’re planning on keeping your equipment there, your pet must not be able to enter inside, and you should always keep it locked.

If you have any water features in your garden, your pet shouldn’t be able to fall in, and if they do, they should be able to get out safely. Whether you fence off your water features, or use safety netting, you’ll need to make sure that no deep, open water features should pose a threat to your companion. 

In addition, creating your dream pet-friendly garden means ensuring proper maintenance, and care. When treating your garden, avoid using any pesticides, herbicides, and slug pellets, as these can be very harmful to pets. There are plenty of pet-friendly solutions available, such as pest control, or natural deterrents, which should help resolve your issue.

Another important aspect to factor when it comes to your pet’s safety is that they must be equipped with legible ID - even more so for dog owners! As per the Control of Dogs Order 1992, all dogs in a public domain must be equipped with a legible ID tag displaying your details. If you’re looking to get yours, make sure to explore our range of brass dog tags.

Space for Play

Now that you’ve pet-proofed your garden, it’s time to start thinking about how you can make it a play haven for your furry friend. Making your garden a space for play is a fantastic way to help strengthen the bond you have with your pet, whilst also being an area where you can help train them - which is particularly useful for young pets!

Creating the perfect play area for your pet doesn’t have to be complex. Often, pets will benefit most from open space to stretch their legs and run about. If this is possible, you will be able to play with, and train your pet from your own home, heading out to the garden for some much-needed bonding time! Other play ideas to incorporate into your garden may be to create a designated digging area, or agility play features such as tunnels or balance beams for dogs!

Making a Stimulating Garden

If you’re going to be spending time creating a perfect pet-friendly garden, you’ll want to make sure that your pet spends time in it! A great way to make your garden more inviting for your companion, is to make it stimulating for them. Through implementing different types of grass, plants, and textures, you can make your garden much more appealing.

Different pet-friendly scents and textures are excellent ways to let your pet explore their curiosity, allowing them to explore their senses. This not only allows them to enjoy time outdoors, but can also help boost their development. Hiding spots with shade are also excellent ways to keep your pet stimulated, particularly coming in use on warmer days where they may need to cool themselves down.

Adjust to Your Pet

All animals are different from one another, meaning you’ll need to tailor your garden to your pet’s needs. For instance, the ideal garden for a cat will look much different from the perfect dog, or rabbit garden. You must make sure that you do your research to make sure that any products you buy, or anything you plan to implement in your garden is suitable to your individual pet, putting their safety first.

There’s no one solution for a pet-friendly garden, but generally, specific animals have similar needs to one another. Dogs, for example, benefit from a more grassy garden, encouraging play and running, and often appreciate a shaded area to relax after their exercise! Cats, however, prefer tall grasses, climbing structures, and catnip plants. Other smaller pets, such as rabbits, will need an enclosure with plenty of space.

Pet-Friendly Garden Care

Now that you’ve created your perfect pet-friendly garden, you’ll need to remember to take care of it! If you’re looking to let your furry friend in the garden long term, you should ensure regular cleaning, and maintenance, so that your pet is safe, and your garden retains its aesthetic!

As well as cleaning up your garden, you should also monitor the health of your plants. In time, you may find that your plants may show signs of dying, which may be due to pests, or diseases. When looking to find treatments to keep your pets healthy, you must ensure that your solution is pet friendly, and won’t be of harm to them.

Summary

With the right knowledge, time, and effort, you can create a harmonious and enjoyable space for you and your pets to enjoy! Remember, creating a pet-friendly garden isn’t as complicated as it sounds, and you can tailor it to reflect your vision, and style. By following our guidance, you can give your pet the perfect outdoor space to enjoy in the warm weather!

As a pet owner, safety should always be your first priority. A reliable way of ensuring retrievability is to ensure that your pet is equipped with a durable ID tag, built to endure the intensity of your pet’s adventures! If you’re looking for endurance, paired with beautiful aesthetics, our brass dog tags are the perfect solution for you - get yours today.