GARDENING | 50 PLUS MAGAZINE
DOG FRIENDLY GARDENING Has the patter of tiny paws taken its toll on your outdoor space? Garden writer and dog lover, Julia Heaton, has some top tips to rectify that. Man’s best friend has really proved its worth during the pandemic with more people than ever becoming dog owners. That’s because sharing your life with a dog is such a rewarding experience. Sadly, sharing your garden can be another matter entirely – one where it feels like you and your pooch are vying to be top dog. Fortunately this is easily rectified. Whether a new or long-time owner, all it takes is a little bit of thought to create a stylish, colourful and fun haven that you can both enjoy in harmony. Setting boundaries It goes without saying that safe, secure boundaries are vital in ensuring your dog can’t escape. The dream scenario is a brick wall but this can be expensive so wooden fence panels are the next best thing. A fence that’s high enough to prevent any canine thoughts of jumping it and is a solid construction is best. Those that still allow a view of what lies beyond are lovely but best avoided to deter the dog from hanging around the area in the hope of seeing something or someone. The same goes for any garden gate. If you already have a fence but your pet is trying to dig its way out then erect some chicken wire at the base, burying it at least 6in
Before laying a path consider the route your dog takes around the garden
(15cm) below the surface. Make sure the sharp edges are facing away from your garden. Think also about burying some large rocks along the base of the fence and adding another layer in front of that in the form of a dense hedge or shrub border that can withstand being trampled. This will also soften attention grabbing outside sounds too. Up the garden path Before laying a path consider the route your dog takes around the garden. Sadly, it’s a fact that dogs don’t keep to pathways.You can’t stop them from romping through borders but you can go with the flow just by sitting back and watching them create their own routes. These can then be turned into proper paths in a style of your choosing and even laid through borders if that’s where you pet likes to go. Use a low box hedge or willow hurdles as edging around borders to form more of a barrier. The latter can be simply pushed into the ground. All you need to do is choose a hurdle appropriate to the size of your pet. Lawn care Dogs are such energetic creatures and the lawn can also come in for its fair share of wear and tear, so it’s worth sowing hard wearing grass seed mix in areas that see a lot of activity. If needs be you could consider giving your pet a dedicated fenced area to let off steam in and pave it so its easily swept clean. Bitches urinating on the lawn can also leave brown circles behind and plants that come in for a regular dose of urine will suffer and eventually die. The easiest way to deal with this is to hose down the area to dilute the effects.You could also use Dog Rocks (www.dogrocks.co.uk) a natural product that’s added to drinking water to stop grass burn. Dog excrement is also a problem that needs to be addressed as it can carry worms (Toxocara canis) whose eggs can be passed in
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