Which Outdoor Trees and Plants Are Safe for Pets (and Which to Avoid)
Whether you enjoy gardening or pride yourself on an impeccably landscaped space perfect for entertaining (or both), creating and maintaining a beautiful outdoor recreation area for you and your family significantly increases the value of your property and quality of life.
If you have beloved pets who also enjoy spending time outdoors, you should be careful when choosing plants for your garden or landscaping. Many plants safe for humans can be toxic to our four-legged friends, so careful planning of your garden or landscaping is crucial if you plan to let your pets outside. Here are some pet-safe plants to consider, and a few to avoid at all costs.
Please note that these lists are not exhaustive—before planting anything not explicitly mentioned here, you may want to check the database maintained by the ASPCA .
Trees and shrubs that are safe for pets.
You might not think trees can harm your pets, but that’s not true—the nuts, leaves, and even the bark of some trees can be toxic to dogs and cats. If your landscaping plan includes planting trees and shrubs for shade and privacy, here are some safe options:
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Red Maple. These trees make a striking addition to any yard with their bright red foliage. They are dangerous to horses, but safe for dogs and cats.
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Dogwood. Another beautiful shade tree with white and green flowers, 100% safe for dogs and cats.
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Magnolias. If your pet is the kind of animal that likes to experimentally eat everything in sight, rest assured: the leaves, flowers, and bark of this beautiful white-and-pink flowering tree are safe to eat.
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Serviceberry. Sometimes called bluegrass or Juneberry, these small trees are stunningly beautiful when in bloom and beneficial to native birds and other wildlife, which feed on their berries. Their small size makes them ideal for landscaping and completely safe for pets—even the berries.
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Crape Myrtle. These fast-growing plants are somewhere between a tree and a shrub in size, making them popular in landscaping and pet-friendly.
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Camellias. These colorful shrubs are ideal for creating natural hedges and are safe for your pets.
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Spirea. If you love the look of azaleas or rhododendrons in your garden but prefer to avoid poisoning your pets, spirea is a great, pet-safe alternative. They are very similar in appearance—lush, with a multitude of vibrant flowers.
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Golden Bells. Ideal for borders and hedges, these bright yellow shrubs pose no threat to your four-legged friends.
Species to avoid include walnuts, most fruit trees, azaleas and rhododendrons.
Pet-Safe Annuals
If you like to change up your garden or landscape every year and use annuals to do so, you have many wonderful options:
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Impatiens. Colourful and easy to grow, they will bloom all spring and summer.
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Zinnias. Fast-growing, they’re a good choice if you’re replacing a poisonous flower and want to add pink and red to your color scheme.
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Sunflowers. Sunflowers come in both perennial and annual varieties, and they come in a wide range of colors, so you can significantly enhance your garden’s design, attract a variety of pollinators, and never worry about your dog or cat getting sick.
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Petunias. Technically, these beautiful flowers are called “tender perennials” because they can return year after year, but they generally don’t tolerate cold. They’re perfect for creating vibrant pops of color that won’t harm your pets.
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Celosias. Colorful and unique, with tall, spiky flowers, they are perfect for creating a variety of arrangements, easy to grow, and completely safe for dogs and cats.
The following plants should be avoided: tulips, begonias, lilies and geraniums.
Pet-Safe Perennials
Perennials are easier to care for and create a sense of stability, which is great if you truly love your garden or outdoor space. If this sounds like you, here are some tips for choosing pet-safe perennials:
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Asters. If you love chrysanthemums, asters are a great alternative that’s safe for your pets. They resemble chrysanthemums and ripen late in the year, adding vibrant color to your garden.
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Carnations (or bellflowers) are wonderful space-filling plants that will add a lush, vibrant look to your flowerbeds and attract pollinators and hummingbirds.
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Coreopsis (or coreopsis). If you like daisies, this traditionally yellow flower (modern varieties offer more color options) is a safer alternative. It’s easy to grow and care for (it’s very drought-tolerant for those who constantly forget to water), and it makes even the sparsest flowerbed look more lush.
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Catnip. A close relative of catnip, this is a great choice if you have a bold cat who enjoys exploring both indoors and outdoors. While catnip may look like a weed, catnip is a gorgeous purple flower that your pets (yes, dogs too) will enjoy munching on.
Some plants to avoid include: daisies, chrysanthemums, creeping jenny, bugleweed, peonies, hostas, and lilies.
Pet-Safe Vegetables and Herbs
If you’re gardening primarily to feed your family , don’t assume that if it’s safe for you, it’s safe for your pets. Safe vegetables for your garden include carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, spinach, pumpkin (it’s a good reason it’s included in many pet foods), peas, sweet potatoes, and broccoli.
The following foods should be avoided: tomatoes, potatoes, onions, hot peppers, eggplant and green beans.
If you grow your own herbs for cooking, basil, sage, rosemary, cilantro, dill, or thyme are your best bets.
The following ingredients should be avoided: shallots, oregano, mint, bay leaf and tarragon.
Pet-Safe Groundcover Plants
Landscaping isn’t just about choosing and arranging large ornamental plants. You’ll also need groundcover plants to create a harmonious blend and protect the soil, and groundcover plants can be toxic to pets. Most lawn grasses are safe for pets (cats sometimes eat lawn grasses to induce vomiting; while this is generally a natural and healthy instinct for them, it shouldn’t be allowed to happen too often, so keep this in mind if you allow your cat to explore your lawn). Other safe groundcovers include moss, summer snowdrops, sedges, hardy succulents, lamb’s ears, and creeping phlox.
Things to avoid: cocoa mulch, asparagus fern and ivy.