If your dog rules the roost in your backyard, creating a safe and exciting backyard environment is essential to both you and your pet. At Hilton Landscaping Supply, our team can help you make good choices for design and materials to create an outdoor environment your entire family can enjoy, including these dog-friendly landscaping ideas.
Five easy tips for creating dog-friendly landscaping in your backyard:
- Decide which parts of your backyard will be dedicated to your dog. Reserve some green space for your four-legged friend as you plot areas for
flagstone patios, walking paths, and seating areas. Dogs enjoy the smell and feel of a natural lawn. Without a space of their own, you may find them digging or destroying manicured plants in their attempt to create areas to lay down or roll around. Small segments of lawns can be easily seeded or prepared for sod. - Consider shade requirements. Southern Oregon can be very hot in the summer with intense, direct sunlight. Use trees or shrubs, or consider building a dog house or pergola to create shade for your pet to retreat under.
- Choose pet-friendly plants. Not all plants are safe for pets. Many common plants such as azaleas, daffodils, tulips, oleander, amaryllis, and cyclamen are poisonous to dogs and should only be used in areas where you can supervise your pets well. Better safe options for dogs include camellias, marigolds, magnolias, creeping thyme, sunflowers, rosemary, coral bells, snapdragons, and nasturtiums.
- Select safe ground covers. There are many options homeowners can choose from for filling in space between the lawn and fence or around shrubs and flowers, but pet owners must know which are safe and which are not. Poisonous mulches include cocoa bean mulches (those containing theobromine), mulches made out of salvaged wood, dyed or chemically treated mulches, and eucalyptus mulch. Instead, choose one of many safe options, including pine bark, fir chips, cedar mulch, coco mulch, pine needle straw, and stones (if your dog doesn’t desire to eat them!).
- Add a sandbox. Dogs love to dig, and without a good place to wear out their paws, they often dig holes in mulch or planting beds. Build an in-ground sandbox to give your pup a designated digging location. Just dig out a square of dirt about 8 to 12 inches deep. Use fast-setting concrete to line the bottom and sides of the pit. Finally, fill the area with playground sand.
flagstone patios, walking paths, and seating areas. Dogs enjoy the smell and feel of a natural lawn. Without a space of their own, you may find them digging or destroying manicured plants in their attempt to create areas to lay down or roll around. Small segments of lawns can be easily seeded or prepared for sod. Ask our team for advice to create a pet-friendly backyard your whole family will enjoy.
Our experts at Hilton Landscape Supply will make beautiful landscaping and luscious gardening easy for you. We can answer all your questions about the best products to keep your pets safe and entertained. Stop by our location in Central Point or give us a call at 541-664-3374. We’ve been fulfilling the landscaping needs of local homeowners and landscape professionals across the greater Pacific Northwest since 1956. Let’s see what we can do for you!