Tips and Techniques
After having a bit of a mouse migration this year, my girlfriend and I got a cat to balance out the wildlife living in the house. So far it’s worked great, and mouse populations are on the decline. I never knew I missed having a cat so much, they’re excellent fuzzy companions and relitively low maintinence as far as pets go. While I have to come home almost everyday to take care of my plants, it really doesn’t take that much more effort to make the kitty happy so it works out great. First the plants, then the pets, next thing you know I’ll have a bunch of snot nosed kids, I’m getting old. Ho hum ho hum, thus is way of life.
So far we’ve kept the cat indoors for fear of her getting hit by cars on the busy street we live on. Still I can’t help but to feel sorry for her, pets in the city live such a sheltered life. They say cats live 3 times as long on average when living indoors, but is it quality or quantity. As winter disapears and spring comes into full swing I’d like to train the cat (Tobias) to hang out in the back garden. This brings to mind the risk of her eating all the strange and more importantly poisonous plants. While I’m not exactly sure if I’m willing to make the sacrifice it has given me the motivation to do some research and perhaps arrange things differently. I suspect creatures have some sense of what’s good and bad to nibble on, still if you’d like to be safe there are some plants you should definitly avoid.
While they’re of hundreds of poisonious plants out there for man and beast these are the ‘Top 10 Deadly Cat Killers:
Lilys – lilium ssp. (All parts even the stamens)
Castor bean – Ricinus communis (Extremely Toxic)
Angel’s Trumpet – Brugmansia ssp.
Morning Glory – Ipomea ssp.
Lily of the Valley – Convallaria majalis
Foxglove – Digitalis ssp.
Daffodils – Narcissus ssp. (Bulb)
Monkshood – Aconitum ssp.
Larks spur – Delphinium ssp
Bigleaf Hydrangea – Hydrangea macrophylla
Act Now
If you ever see your cat displaying unusual symptoms, sleepiness, nausea, dizziness, excessive drueling and/or coma, time is of the essence. Call your local vet and rush your friend to the kitty hospital before it’s too late. A poisoned cat is a time sensetive matter.
On the brighter side of things
Given the choice a cat’s favorite green snack is often grass. If you’re a greenthumb you might consider growing some “cat grass” to encourage your kitty friend to eat that instead of your poisonous exotics. Cat grass is easy to grow and with one package of seeds ($3.50) you’ll have more grass then you’ll know what to do with.
Plants for the perfect Cat Friendly Garden
Annauls:
Cosmos, Calendula, Marigolds, Nasturiums, Primulas, Petunias, Snapdragons and Zinneas
Perennials:
Allium, Agastache, Alcea, Echinaceas, Hibiscus, Heucheras, Lavendula, Monarda, Nepeta, Roses, Violas
For more great information on poisonous plants check out The Poison Garden website. It features in depth plant profiles on many of the worlds most common and strange poisonous plants. From side effects to folk lore, what a great site!
If you have any stories or suggestions for cat friendly gardens, please share your thoughts.
If your looking for some great gift ideas for a gardener and/or plant geek, you’re in luck. Gardeners are great group of people to shop for because gardening as a hobby is so multifaceted and your options are practically endless. From tools to seeds, plants, clothing, outdoor decor, books and more, you’ll have plenty of choices to find the perfect gift for that special someone. Seeing as though it’s officially December (brrr…) and Christmas is right around the corner I thought I’d shoot out some ideas and make the process easier for you.
Seeds – From next seasons vegetables, everyday flowers and endangered exotics.
Seeds are a great gift for a plant geek and no matter how long someone has been gardening, there’s always something they haven’t tried. The internet has no shortage of reputable seed companies that offer high quality seed at excellent prices. While you might be able to find some interesting seeds at a hardware store or garden center, be sure to inquire how long they’ve been sitting there. Fresh seed is best, and often winter displays are last year’s stock. Below are a couple seed companies I’ve ordered from first hand with great results.
Chiltern Seeds
One of the most extensive, incredible seed companies I’ve seen yet. Located in the U.K they ship worldwide and have an amazing selection of seed from everyday garden plants to exotic. Packages arrived in lightning speed, nicely packaged with great instructions. They strive to sell only the freshest quality seed available. The website is nicely setup making it easy for anyone to find what their looking for.
Stellar Seeds
A family run business local to B.C that specializes in certified organic seed. They have a great selection of fresh vegetable seeds for next years bumper crop of tomatoes. They also do a small run of annual & perennial everyday garden plants. Speedy delivery and quality products. Excellent little packages for the seeds as well. There website is as user friendly as you’d ever need, check them out.
J. L. Hudson, Seedsman
If your searching for something strange, you’ll definetly find it here. A non profit seed bank J.L Hudson has been in business for over 100 years. The website is simple but their selection is huge. When I ordered I was quite satisfied with the speed of delivery and quality of the contents.
Seed Starting Gear:
Now that we’ve ordered a bunch of great seeds why not go a step further and buy them some cool seed starting gear. A little money goes a long way in this department, most garden centers / hardware stores / and megamarts should carry what you’ll need.
Plastic seed starting domes($5.00-$10.00)
Seed starting soil ($5.00-$7.50)
Misting bottle and/or watering can ($2.00-$10.00)
Plant tags & markers ($2.00-$5.00)
Seed heating mat ($50.00-$100.00) BONUS POINTS
Full spectrum grow bulb ($12.00-$40.00+) BONUS POINTS
Why not combine the seeds and the gear in a small basket for an added effect.
Tools:
This can be a tough one, as it all depends on what the person already has in stock. Really though we can almost always use fresh tools, so sneak around and get an idea what your gardener might be lusting after. Admittedly a rake is rarely a romantic gift, but if you’ve seen your gardener doing the lawn with 3 toothed rake, maybe it’s a good gift idea after-all. A spade or a shovel are also a useful addition to a gardener’s arsenal. You can never have enough spades, the average gardener looses theirs every 5 minutes. Add a brand new pair of Felco pruners and I’m sure they’ll be floored.
Composter:
Another practical gift, but really if you’re still using a garbage bin with holes drilled in it to compost it might be time to update. Most gardeners would find this a great gift, and there are a lot of nice models out there available for less then $150.00. If you’re a crafty one you might go one step further and build a 3 zoned version out of wood. Bonus Points.
Plants – Live Ones
While December is pretty much the worst time of year to buy a gardener their favorite thing, live plants, there are still some options available. First of all for instant effect the garden centers are covered in your usual winter blooming plants. Pointsettias, christmas cacti and florist cyclamen are out in full force. Although if you’d like to go for something a bit different the internet might be your savior. Many of the online mail-order retailers are still in full swing, and have some really incredible oddities to be found. Some companies I’ve ordered from with success:
Sacred Succulents
An incredible company focused on conservation and appreciation of rare and endangered plants from exotic parts of the world. While the website doesn’t feature any photographs, read the description and copy and paste the name into google images for a better idea of what your buying. Specializing in many endangered species of cactus, sacred succulents sells cuttings, live specimens and seeds. A great resource for any would be plant nerd.
Paul Shirley Succulents
Let me tell you I’ve spent a lot of time looking for weird plants online and it’s pretty hit and miss. Paul Shirley Succulents is a real gem, and offers cuttings from all sorts of strange plants. I ordered a package of stapelia (carrion flower) cuttings at the end of the summer and they’re all thriving. If you have a gardener in your life that that is always looking for something new I’m sure you’d find something here to wet their appetite. Specializing in stepelias, tropical impatiens, hoya, and rhipsalis cuttings, I could definitely spend some money here. Located in the Netherlands expect to wait up to 2 weeks for your package to arrive, but for the most part they arrived in great condition from half way across the world.
Absolutely Cactus
Another exciting mail-order cactus grower. Their cacti are grown from seed and cuttings focusing on preservation of rare and exotic cacti and succulents. New stock flows through regularily and your sure to see something interesting. The site is nicely setup with lots of photos to make things easier.
Still can’t find the right plant? Why not consider getting them a gift card at their favorite garden center. This way they can wait until the frost thaws and spring is in it’s full glory. An extra $100 worth of plants in spring, what a gift!
Private Life of Plants David Attenborough DVD
This series stands the test of time for being one of the most fascinating plant documentaries I’ve ever seen. Narrated by the soothing voice of David Attenborough, each episode is filled with stunning plant time lapses where vines and shrubs are brought up to our speed. If the visuals weren’t enough, each episode is actually quite factual and you’ll surely learn a thing or two. It would be hard not to love this series plant lover or otherwise.
What do you think?
What is the best gift for a gardener? What would you like to find under the Christmas Tree?
