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Planting Around Your Pets

Spring is on the way – the official start of the season is March 21st, which also happens to be my birthday! So if you’re a gardener, it’s time to start thinking about what to plant this year… and how to keep the pets OUT.

I just received my Gardeners Supply Company catalogue, and it conveniently offered a few ways to keep your puppies and kitties from digging in your potted plants and garden beds.

Scat Mats are plastic spiked mats that discourage delicate paws from digging in your potted plants and gardens. If you want a completely non-chemical way to keep the kitties from using your potted plants as an auxiliary litter box, these flexible spikes will be a great deterrant! They won’t cut or puncture paws, but they are uncomfortable enough to give pets second thoughts about digging! The one Scat Mat can be cut into several pieces or used as a whole.

Another all natural way to keep the pets away from the plants is to include a Scaredy Cat Coleus in your garden. This Coleus-Canina hybrid has a scent that is inoffensive to humans but is quite icky to dogs and cats. They also may help keep groundhogs, rabbits, raccoons, and other pests out of your garden beds! Plant your Scaredy Cat Coleus at the borders of your beds to keep unwelcome visitors out! The plant will grow as tall as two feet, with thick leaves and spiky bluish flowers. Pretty!

If cats specifically are your problem, you can try planning rue and/or citronella in with your garden. These plants have scents that are unpleasant to cats (dogs also aren’t usually fond of citronella, but they may try to mark the area to cover up the smell.) You can also try planting catnip away from your garden to encourage the cats to visit another part of the yard.