Often pet owners who live in the Los Angeles area will allow their property to fall into disarray because it just seems to be too much work to find ways to make the garden grow with the destructive habits of dogs or cats. With the mild climate of Southern California, both humans and pets appreciate allowing pets to spend a lot of time outdoors. Yet if you take into consideration the needs of your pets and design those needs into your garden you actually can have a beautiful AND pet-friendly garden.
Keep in mind that dogs need to run. They need to get exercise. And they need to have space to play. So design them pathways that move through heavily planted areas and carve a passage that will follow along fences where dogs are likely to want to run. Although your dogs will occasionally trespass on your gardens, most of the foot traffic will stay to your paths and if you plant tough enough plants, the gardens will thrive and look great despite your dogs. Look for plants that grow with woody stems and opt for drought-tolerant varieties. These kinds of eco-friendly plants grow the strongest in our Los Angeles climate and will better withstand pet damage.
Female dogs can create brown spots in lawns whereas male dogs naturally like to urinate up against anything that rises vertically. So build in areas of gravel or decomposed granite that will not burn from urine. These areas are perfect for drainage in the wet winters and dry summers of Los Angeles. You can also paint decorative posts and set them near places that need protection so your male dog uses them as pee posts rather than your favorite outdoor furniture or your delicate plants. Since we have no rain for so many months in this area, creating these non-living provisions for your pets mean it will be easy to hose down urine areas to avoid bad smells.
Build areas that will be easy for cats to dig. Cats will use loose soil or sand as a cat box. If you want to build a sand box for your children, either fence it off from your cat or use recycled shredded tires for fill instead of sand. Then you can build a sand box just for your cat to use to encourage him or her from choosing other areas of your garden. Flat areas where you don’t want your cat digging can be protected with a surface layer of hardware cloth or chicken wire. Wire protection will also help avoid the damage so often done by our local squirrels here in Los Angeles. Offer your cats branches for sharpening claws and build high fences to encourage them to stay on your property. Plant them some catnip (Nepeta) to help them enjoy your garden space. Catnip and catmint both are loved by cats and grow exceptionally well in the Los Angeles area. They are mildly drought-tolerant and even bloom with decorative purple flower spikes.
There are many ways you can design a garden or landscape so it will be pet friendly. If you plan out your garden ahead of time, you can see to it that your garden is eco-friendly with the Los Angeles climate while accommodating your pets. And with well-designed paths, special areas and carefully chosen plants, your pet eco-friendly landscaping can also be downright beautiful.
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