Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Friday - June 04, 2010

From: Denton, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pests, Planting, Shrubs
Title: Puppy-proof plants in Denton TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I recently got a couple of puppies that stay outside in a fenced off area of the backyard. Of course, they love trying to dig under the fence and get out. I placed cement landscaping border stones along the base of the fence to prevent the digging but I would like something more attractive such as some plants or grasses. The area is on the west side of the house and the fence is 6'-7' tall. It gets direct and full mid-day sun for about 5-6 hours. The soil is almost always dry except when the dogs knock over their water. If there is any hope of getting the dogs to leave a plant alone long enough for it to get established I'd like to get something planted along the fence and possibly something to provide the dogs with shade during the afternoon hours. I work at a nursery that deals mostly with heat and drought tolerant perennials so I have access to lots of candidates. But I'm not sure if there's anything the dogs won't just dig up and chew to bits. They have destroyed many plants I had sitting out in the backyard in pots still when they got out before. I figured I could lay some of the landscaping bricks around the base of the plants to prevent any initial digging then remove them after a couple of weeks.I was thinking tall grasses and anything that may deter ticks an fleas(I hear Artemesia 'Powis Castle' does this, though it isn't native). Thanks ahead of time for any help you can provide in selecting the ideal plants for this purpose.

ANSWER:

This particular Mr. Smarty Plants is not a dog owner, but we have observed that puppies + plants = puppies. And not only will it be expensive to keep them in plant chew toys, but many plants have poisonous parts. Puppies are not too discriminating, apparently, and you don't want sick puppies in your side yard. We are trying to visualize the layout of your property, so we're not sure what will work, but our suggestion is that you continue to place some sort of barrier to keep the puppies from digging their way out, but do the planting outside of the fence. Plants on the west side of the dog run will provide shade in the middle and late day, whether there is a fence between them or not. Your best bet there is shrubs, as they will attain a height for some shade fairly soon, as opposed to more slow-growing trees, but will not get so large that they are unmanageable (as opposed to the puppies.) Since, as you say, you work for a nursery, you probably don't need plant suggestions or even plant care from us, and can make selections that have no poisonous parts, like berries, that might grow through the fence (assuming it's a chain link fence).

 

More Planting Questions

Moving "lily of the valley" from MD to TX. Is that OK?
January 17, 2012 - My question pertains to lily of the valley. From your database, I learned that it is a native plant but only the following states were listed: GA , KY , NC , PA , SC , TN , VA , WV. I am moving from...
view the full question and answer

Chlorosis in tropical milkweed and asclepias tuberosa
May 18, 2008 - I planted both tropical milkweed and asclepias tuberosa. Both are chlorotic and the native milkweed has brown upturned leaves. Could it possibly be too much water? Or what?
view the full question and answer

Need something to compete with Virginia wild rye in Bristol, TN.
July 29, 2011 - I have been working for 4 years to convert a large area of sunny lawn (150' x 40') to a native woodland planting, using native trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses. Although I used seeds of a variety ...
view the full question and answer

Planting dogwood in Baytown TX
April 23, 2010 - I live in Baytown Texas and was wondering if this would be a good area to plant a dogwood tree?
view the full question and answer

Shallow topsoil on rocky substrate in SW Oregon
April 28, 2009 - I want to plants some shrubs and trees. Trouble is I can't plant very deep. I have mostly rock within 5 inches. Please help.
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.