Help me landscape without killing my dog!

May 5, 2010 2:04 PM

We have some huge overgrown Holly bushes out back that we want to replace with something more manageable. Help us find something that won't kill our dog!

The back yard is partial-to-full sun in Zone 7-8. We have a ~20x3ft strip in front of the foundation that we'd like to plant a line of shrubs in. Ideally the shrubs would be 3-5 ft in final width and height, evergreen, and non-toxic to our dog that eats everything in sight. We are not gardeners so we want something low maintenance if possible. Almost all the evergreens I've seen are toxic to dogs, but since I'm not a gardener, I thought the green thumbs of the green would have some better ideas. Here's a partial list I've used for toxic/non-toxic plants, but other suggestions are welcome:

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/plant-list-dogs.html?print=t

Thanks, hive mind!

posted by RobotNinja to Home & Garden (1 answer total)

I've had success with Desert Sage bushes, pictured here. They don't appear on your linked to list of toxic plants, so I guess they are safe. In fact I find it here, listed as safe under it's other name Texas Sage. It is a full sun shrub and flowers purple a couple of times a year. It is evergreen, but the green is a light almost silvery color. They are easy to keep alive and grow well. I found some quite easily at the local Lowes when I was living in Texas, but don't really know how available they are in other locales.
posted by citizngkar at 11:11 AM on May 6, 2010