Gardening is a cathartic and rewarding activity that brings life, color, and beauty to your yard. If your pet spends a lot of time outdoors, however, be cautious about what you plant. Many garden favorites are poisonous to cats and dogs. To protect your pets, avoid purchasing the plants and flowers noted in this guide.

A Pet Owner’s Guide to Poisonous Plants

1. Cyclamen

Also known as sowbread, cyclamen is a hardy flowering plant with fluttering petals that resemble butterfly wings. It contains saponin, a chemical compound that causes drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, and seizures when ingested in large quantities. Eating any part of the plant can produce these effects, not just its blooms.

2. English Ivy

A common ground cover, English ivy also contains poisonous saponins. Pets that consume English ivy may experience abdominal pain, vomiting, excessive drooling, and diarrhea. Although the entire plant is harmful to pets, the berries and leaves contain the highest levels of toxin.

3. Rhododendron

Rhododendrons are ornamental plants beloved for their showy flowers, but they contain grayanotoxins—a dangerous chemical that targets cardiac and skeletal muscle and nerve function. Signs of ingestion in pets include gastrointestinal upset, abnormal heart rate, weakness, depression, tremors, seizures, and coma. Eating only a few leaves poisons pets.

4. Iris

The beautiful iris, notable for its vibrant petals, is full of pentacyclic terpenoids. When consumed or even handled, lethargy, drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea may occur. The rhizomes are the most poisonous part of the plant.

5. Foxglove

With attractive bundles of bell-shaped blooms, foxglove is another gardener’s favorite highly toxic to pets. Its poisons affect the electrolyte balance within the heart. Cardiac arrhythmia, gastrointestinal upset, weakness, tremors, seizures, and cardiac arrest may result from ingestion.

If you’re looking for pet-friendly plants to fill your garden, stop by Lakeview Garden Center & Landscaping. Located in Fairfield, OH, this landscaping center and garden store has been providing exceptional garden design and installation services to the Greater Cincinnati community for over 30 years. Their gorgeous and expansive garden center inspires gardeners of all skill levels. It’s always stocked with a variety of fresh seasonal plants. To schedule an appointment with a gardening designer, call (513) 829-6624, and visit them online for more information about weekly specials.