Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Our first thought is that, in addition to dog-friendly plants, you need plant-friendly dogs. Dogs love to play outside, and do not differentiate between digging up an imaginary bone or a prize plant. And they love to wallow in soft moist soil and blooming plants (without thorns). If you have grass or a low groundcover, they will make a path through it and no amount of pleading or training will cure them of the habit. We know this from personal experience, and have never since tried to mix garden and dogs.

So, here is what we are going to do - we will make you a list of plants in the categories you listed that are native to the area of Armstrong Co., USDA Hardiness Zone 6a. In the course of that you will learn how to use our Native Plant Database to make your own selections, based on the amount of sunlight each area has, projected height, habit (tree, shrub, grass, etc.). And finally we will give you a list of websites you can search on to make sure your plant selection is not poisonous. With all that information, you can make your own decisions about how to handle the dog/garden interface.

Since you mention wanting a wildlife-friendly garden, please read our How-To Articles on Wildlife Gardening and Butterfly Gardening. As we link you to our webpages on each plant, you will notice that many of them will list the butterflies, bees and birds that are attracted to that plant, with pictures and links to more information.

We will begin by going to our Native Plant Database and, using the Combination Search, select on Pennsylvania for state, shrub (then flowering plants and vines) for Habit, part shade (2 to 6 hours of sunlight) under Light Requirements and dry under Soil Moisture. As you become accustomed to using the database, you can change the specifications, even selecting color and/or bloom time, as well as projected height.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Kinnikinnick)

Comptonia peregrina (Sweet fern)

Diervilla lonicera (Northern bush honeysuckle)

Campanula rotundifolia (Bluebell bellflower)

Coreopsis lanceolata (Lanceleaf coreopsis)

Echinacea purpurea (Eastern purple coneflower)

Schizachyrium scoparium (Little bluestem)

Carex blanda (Eastern woodland sedge)

Tridens flavus (Purpletop tridens)

Clematis virginiana (Devil's darning needles)

Passiflora incarnata (Purple passionflower)

Celastrus scandens (American bittersweet)

Websites to search for poisonous plant names:

• Poisonous Plants of North Carolina
• Toxic Plants of Texas
• University of Pennsylvania Poisonous Plants Page
• Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System
• ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List - Dogs