Make Your Garden a Safety Zone

Some general guidelines for keeping gardens safe for pets:

* Make sure the perimeter fencing is sturdy and extends far enough below ground so the animal can’t dig, tunnel or burrow out.

* Avoid using any toxic material for pest control. This includes snail bait, which is deadly to pets that ingest it. Control garden pests with insecticidal soaps or beneficial insects such as ladybugs and green lacewings.

* Be sure lawn or plant fertilizer doesn’t contain insecticides in the formulation.

* Watering needs should take into account the animal’s requirements, such as the need for dry or damp areas.

* Remove any toxic plants from the garden or be sure they’re out of reach of curious mouths.

Oleander and Angel’s Trumpet, also known as datura or brugmansia, are especially deadly. Either the bulbs, seeds, stems or flowers of the following are toxic and shouldn’t be in gardens where pets are permitted free access:

African lily (Agapanthus africanus); aloe (Aloe barbadensis), bird of paradise (Strelizia reginea), boxwood (Buxus sempervirens), Castor bean (Ricinus communis), daffodil (narcissus), dianthus (species), foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica), holly (Illex), hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis), juniper (Juniperus species), morning glory (Ipomoea species), nightshade (Solanium nigrum), periwinkle (Vinca species), shasta daisy (Chrysanthemum maximum).