Not everything green is good for our pets

School is barely finished for the year, but the big box world is always a season ahead so space will soon be needed for the back to school bits.   What does that mean?   Why of course that this is the time for savvy shoppers to shop for summer things.
But wait just a minute!  Isn't summer just starting tomorrow?  You bet!  Works out rather well for us here in Nova Scotia, eh?   
Gardening has become incredibly popular in the last few years and there are very few big box or supermarket chains that do not throw up a temporary garden center to cash in on the market.  Seeing as unsold product will soon become compost, experienced gardeners are always on the watch for good sales at this time of year.
Even though big box stores are getting better about bringing in plant varieties that are actually suited to the local gardening zones, any other cautions are usually in such small print as to be easily overlooked.  
Why is that a problem?   Aren't plants green and natural and good for us?   Not always.   Children are forever putting things in their mouth.  Dogs and Cats love to munch on greenery.
Really ... its a shame that plants are not sold with the same helpful "No Kids / Cats / Dogs" cautions that one finds on Petfinder listings.  
So how is one to tell?   The short answer is that, just like with food and toys and trainers, one has to do a bit of homework.    You might find it helpful to check out this link  which, imho is the most comprehensive list of plants poisonous to pets.  
Our summers are so short that we spend all the time we can outside.   As a pet owner, it just makes sense to be an organic gardener.   As a pet owner, I would never dream of putting carcinogenic chemicals on my lawn.  As a pet owner, I am very careful of what I feed my family circle.
So it just makes sense to be careful with this too.   There are so many beautiful plants to choose from without picking anything that would put our pets in harms way.  As a sidebar note to that, if you are looking for more info on organic gardening, you can always go to my personal site.
The only two herbicides we recommend are cultivation and mulching.   Organic Gardening Magazine