Landscape Blog

If you’re planning on improving your outdoor living space, make sure you keep your pets in mind. After all, they’ll probably spend at least as much time out there as you. While you make plans to meet with Scarlett’s Landscaping, take a look at these outdoor living ideas that both you and your pets will enjoy.

1. Get a Refreshing Water Feature

Your pets will get thirsty at some point when they spent time in the yard. Instead of making them go inside the house for a drink or leaving a simple water dish outside, make drinking water fun by adding a pond or fountain within their reach. This way, they have constant access to water, and you get to benefit from having a peaceful water feature in your yard.

2. Put In Safe Plants

Keep your pets in mind as you work with a landscape design company to put in plants. This means avoiding any plants that could hurt your pets. For example, oleander, cyclamen, azalea and lilies can all be poisonous to cats and dogs who eat the leaves. So be sure the landscaping firm you hire is aware that you have pets before you choose the best plants for your yard.

3. Add Some Shade

Maybe you were already planning to put some shade structures in your yard. If so, you’ll be glad to know your pets will appreciate them, too. Whether you decide to get a built-in gazebo, a canvas shade sail or simply some large, shady trees, both you and your pets will like lounging under them on sunny days.

4. Install Plenty of Paths

Most animals thrive on lots of exercise, so give them somewhere to go in your yard. Put down brick, stone or cement in pathways that wind around your yard, giving your dogs a chance to listen to their instinct to patrol the area. You can plant pet-friendly flowers and bushes along those pathways to make them look pretty and appealing to both pets and humans.

5. Put Up the Right Fence

Keep your pet in mind before you get a fence around your yard, because the materials you use and the height of the fence should depend on the habits of your pets. For example, if you have a big dog to keep in your yard, a short, flimsy fence won’t cut it. If your dog just digs in the dirt under the fence and gets out, you’ll need to reinforce the area with concrete or chicken wire. And if you want to fence your cat in, you’ll need a material that he or she can’t climb. Fortunately, the landscape architects you hire should have some ideas for you as you plan which fence would be best.

6. Install a Lookout Area

Lots of pets like to see what’s going on around the yard, especially if they have a natural urge to protect their family. Indulge them by adding a little lookout area to your yard. This could be a large, flat-topped rock or maybe a small platform on top of your fence. If your pets are on the lazier side, they can use the lookout area for rolling around and sunbathing when the weather is nice.

7. Make the Yard Easy to Access

If you want your pets to get the most from your outdoor living space, make sure they can get there easily. The simplest solution is to install a doggy — or kitty — door in your home so they can come and go as they please. If you want to get them some boundaries, such as when you’re not home, you can attach a kennel or dog house to the inside or outside of the pet door so they can only roam as far as you want them to.