Should You Get Annuals or Perennials For Your Pet Safe Garden

Annuals and perennials offer distinct advantages and differences, each contributing unique benefits to your garden. Annuals, characterized by their vibrant colors and showy blooms complete their life cycle within a single year. This means they must be replanted annually, making them ideal for adding temporary bursts of color to your garden or “thrill”. I find that they shine bright and add a pop of color. I like to mix them in with perennials for color contrast. It seems like there are fewer annuals that are drought tolerant which is a consideration in states like ours, California. However, in California since the majority of the state does not really experience four truly distinct seasons, many annuals are quasi biennials. And if you are good at seed collecting, it can almost seem like some are demi perennials.

On the other hand, perennials are known for their longevity and ability to bloom year after year, many even hold green leaves year-round in warmer states like mine, California, adding consistency and structure to your garden. While some may have less showy blooms than annuals, perennials offer longer blooming periods and require less replanting or watering, saving time, energy and money in the long run. They establish strong root systems, making them more resilient to drought and other challenges. Perennials come in a wide range of sizes, colors, and textures, allowing for endless possibilities in garden design. However, they may require more initial investment and maintenance, including occasional dividing and pruning to keep them healthy and vibrant. Some of the larger ones like shrubs may also take a while to show their true beautiful self- beautiful swans from slow growing ducklings.

I find that planting a mix of both annuals and perennials in our garden design provides the best of both worlds. Annuals offer stunning color and variety, while perennials provide consistent life and structure. It’s kind of like a floral football team with each plant playing a position- not everyone can stand out like a QB and where would the quarterback be without the resilient O-line… sacked! By carefully selecting and integrating these plant types based on your preferences, climate, and gardening goals, you can create a fun and visually stimulating garden that provides lively entertainment throughout the seasons for you, your pets, pollinators, and your community.

Pet Friendly Perennials

Here is a comprehensive list that is the cross-section of nontoxic plants for dogs, cats and horses according to the ASPCA. We created this sublist of perennials for those of us pet owners who like to fill our yards with majority perennials that are often more drought tolerant and can give you more bang for your buck. Probably 70-80 of Lovie’s Pet Safe Garden consists of perennials that grow well in containers. He loves his garden. It is a nice place to sunbathe and sniff safely. I also find a hidden treasure of his on occasion since he loves to bury his treats.