Any suggestions for plants (whether flowers or fruits/vegetables) that a dog won't destroy?

I would love to have a backyard full of flowers, but last year I ended up seeing my dog (now two years old) drag just about everything we planted out of the ground and all over the yard (even a young aspen tree!)


Does anyone have suggestions on plants (preferably something with flowers, but any kind will do) that might deter my dog from destroying it? I know that anything with thorns would probably work, but I have young children, so that isn%26#039;t an option for me. Thanks in advance!

FlowersBirthday FlowersSympathy FlowersIt sounds like you have my dogs. They leave a path of destruction everywhere they go. 3 weeks ago we planted new sod. It took them a week to kill almost all of it.


The things I have had luck with are the plants that grow quickly and produce lots of babies so even though they run thrugh and destroy , there are always new shoots of plants appearing. Try... Banana plants, Cannas, Agave, Bamboo, Mexican Sage(salvia), Honeysuckle, Morning Glory, any succlent like hens and chicks..., red apple(aptinia), Aloe, sword ferns, pineapple plants, and if you go with trees get a well established tree like the 15-20 gallon. The root ball is much harder for them to dig up. Something else you can try is hot pepper water in a spray bottle. I was having a problem with my two digging all of the rocks out of the fountain and I added some hot pepper water and it stoped. When I planted new ferns I was afraid they would destroy them so I tried this and they chewd a little bit of the tips, then left them alone. This also worked great on the Christmas tree. The plant wasn%26#039;t harmed at all by the spray. Take dried hot chili%26#039;s (like the ones you get at the pizza place) and bring them to a boil, let it simmer for about 20 minutes then put it in a spray bottle. Oh and the thorn idea doesn%26#039;t work. They don%26#039;t care if they get poked with a few thorns.


Good Luck!
Reply:This is hard for you, but right now the priorities are kids and dog. When you are an old lady like me, then you can have flowers in the ground. If the dog is outside most of the day, he is bored and will uproot everything. Does he have a Kong filled with peanut butter? Can he go to the dog park and run off some energy with his pals? Can a part of the garden be fenced off, even a border for some sturdy shrubs that could be the background of your garden a few years from now?


I would be concerned that so many plants are toxic for him, often common plants will lead to serious stomach problems. We bought a delphinium at a plant sale, but when I looked it up on the web I was horrified at how toxic it is. I think a mud area, a sand area, a park bench, some toys and bit of grass artfully arranged are the best you can hope for at this time!acting resources