"Petscaping" your Garden
Creating a garden space in the smallest yard or patio for your dog or cat can be accomplished by planting edible grasses, herbs and flowers in a container for your pet to enjoy. The fragrance and appearance of plants and flowers are a source of enjoyment for you and your pets. Pets will often consume flowers and foliage, which is not a problem if non-toxic plants are available for them to enjoy. Like their wild ancestors, our domestic dogs and cats consume grasses and other plants probably in an attempt to self-medicate and possibly to supplement a diet of mainly processed food.

This container garden can also be useful as a training tool to keep your pet away from areas that are not for her consumption. When you find your pet showing interest in areas of your garden that may be off-limits, redirect her attention to the potted plants that are there for her to sniff and snack on.

Hardy, edible plants for a container garden:

• Millet grass
• Lemon Grass
• Catnip/catmint
• Oregano
• Nastursium
• Pansies, violas, violets
• Coneflowers (Echinacea)

Resources available at Dogwise.com:

• All You Ever Wanted to Know about Herbs for Pets, Mary L Wulff-Tilford & Gregory L. Tilford
• The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat, Juliette de Bairacli Levy
• Dog Friendly Gardens, Garden Friendly Dogs, Cheryl S. Smith
• Dr Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats, Richard H. Pitcairn, Susan Hubble Pitcairn
• Wild Health, Cindy Engle
• Herbs and Edible Flowers, Lois Hole