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?

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

Saturday - May 03, 2014

From: East Greenwich, RI
Region: Northeast
Topic: Plant Lists, Edible Plants, Poisonous Plants, Grasses or Grass-like, Herbs/Forbs, Shrubs
Title: Plants for farm animals from East Greenwich RI
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

What type of perennial flowers and shrubs are safe to plant around farm animals (dogs, horses, chickens, turkeys) in New England climate?

ANSWER:

Are you speaking in terms of safe to the animals (i.e., not poisonous) or safe for the plants (the animals won't harm them)? Here is how we plan to help you, and then you can do some more detective work depending on what your answer is to our above question. This member of the Mr. Smarty Plants Team has never raised any farm animals, spent any time farming, nor gardened in New England. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, home of Mr. Smarty Plants, is dedicated to the growth, protection and propagation of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which those plants are to be grown; in your case, Kent County, RI.

So, using several different sources of information, we will give you some plants that are native to Rhode Island (teaching you how to search our database), the names of some poisonous plants and information on what animals eat.

From Ask.com, What do Dogs Eat?

From Ask.com, What Do Horses Eat?

From Hencam com, What to Feed Your Chickens

From backyard chickens.com What Do Turkeys Like to Eat?

Next, finding specific foods for those animals. Go to our Native Plant Database and scroll down the page to Combination Search. Using the drop down menus, first, enter Rhode Island as the State, then select the Habit (grass, shrubs, etc.), you already said you wanted Perennial under Duration. Next, check the appropriate box under Light Requirements, Soil Moisture and Size. Click on "Narrow Your Search" and you will get a list of all the plants fulfilling those descriptions that are native to Rhode Island. For different Habits and/or Light Requirements you will have to run separate searches.

Now, assuming you have found a list of possible edibles for your various animals, you need to know if any of them are poisonous. Here is information from previous Mr. Smarty Plants answers to help you:

Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List – Horses from the ASPCA.

Toxic and Non-toxic Plant List – Dogs  From the ASPCA

However, we can give you some websites you can check for whether or not a plants has poisonous parts and it is better to know the scientific name for the search.

The lists often are only plants native to North America, but ordinarily if you search on one genus name (jasminoides or mandevilla) the information on the poisonous plants will be the same for all species of that genus. Here is our list:

ASPCA

University of Arkansas

University of Illinois   

Toxic Plants of Texas 

Poisonous Plants of North Carolina

University of Pennsylvania Poisonous Plants

Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System 

California Poison Action Line 

You should also check with your veterinarian to make sure some locally available plant has  been proved to be poisonous that is not on any of the lists.

 

 

 

 

More Edible Plants Questions

Blossom end rot on non-native tomatoes from Newport RI
April 25, 2014 - Can epsom salt or eggshells end blossom end rot on tomatoes?
view the full question and answer

Information about Cedar Sage from Austin
March 11, 2011 - I am new to the Austin area and was wondering about cedar sage (salvia roemeriana). Is this plant considered aromatic, non-aromatic of chia? And, other than the edible flower are other parts of the ...
view the full question and answer

What variety of Opuntia is best for eating in Boerne, TX.
September 26, 2011 - Which variety of Opuntia, is best for eating the pads and which are the ones best eaten for fruit?
view the full question and answer

Information on edible tubers of hog potato from Austin
November 10, 2011 - I inquired a while back about hog potato or Hoffmannseggia glauca. You gave me some information on the plant but no information on when the plant produces the edible tubers. Also how long does it take...
view the full question and answer

Rust on Blackberry
April 17, 2015 - I have two new blackberry bushes that I planted fall 2014. Only weeks after I planted the plant began to have rust color balls under the leaves then leaves began to die and fall off. When I returned t...
view the full question and answer

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