Green Thumb?

It's spring! And it couldn't come sooner. I love to cultivate and grow things year round, but Spring is the best time of year to get things started blooming in your garden. I live in an apartment, so my garden is restricted to potted plants, and because of limited space, I've been known to plant 2 or 3 different varieties in the same pot.

But it never fails. My dog Fergie is frequently lounging on the porch surrounded by the lovely oxygen-making flora. I've caught her on occasion nose-deep in the soil, and I still can't for the life of me understand why she likes the taste of dirt so much. Maybe she's hungry. Maybe dirt tastes better than dog food. Maybe she's just insane. Plenty of my plants are edible to humans, and I even keep a little cat grass around for my cat Sparrow to munch on, so I don't worry about "the girls" ingesting anything harmful.

Many house and garden plants are harmless to pets, but there are several that are actually POISONOUS and possibly DEADLY to our four-legged companions. Here's a list of several common springtime plants that can cause vomiting, seizures, hallucination, and possibly death.

-- LANTANA. It's very common in florida, and I love the easy maintenance. Fortunately, I keep my sunshine yellow lantana in a taller pot, so Fergie can't reach it.

-- TULIP. A beautiful and favorite flower to many, if ingested, can result in death.

-- DAFFODILS. I've been seeing these everywhere from Lowe's to Publix, but keep them out of your lawn if you have a furry plant-eater.

-- AZALEAS. Though not deadly, the effects aren't something you want to wake up to.

-- RHODODENDRON. Beautiful shrubs seen often around houses to brighten the lawn, but one munch can send Fido to the vet.

-- MORNING GLORY. Lavender vining blooms cover many mailboxes and are great for hanging. Unfortunately, it's like LSD for your dog.




If you'd like to learn more about maintaining a pet-friendly garden, click the jump.