Need help creating a cat friendly garden

Leiden, Netherlands

I have just put up a new fence in my garden, and want to use my space better than it has been used in the past. My idea is to buy large pots, and to introduce more greenery in my life! I have just purchased a passiflora, which I intend to grow up the fence, and over the the arbor at the top. However, I would like more plants in the garden in seperate pots.

The criteria I have are they MUST be cat friendly, they also must be hardy, and long lasting. I have attached a picture to show you the space I am working in, and just wondered if you good people could point me in the right direction - what would you advise I put in this area?

Many thanks!!

Thumbnail by Fynci
Leiden, Netherlands

Here is another picture, to show the depth.

Thumbnail by Fynci
Vicksburg, MS(Zone 8a)

It appears that the passiflora will eventually cover the arbor; therefore, this area will be quite shady? Are these plants to be left outside year-round or brought in during the cold months? Generally, some of my cats (not all) choose to chew on plants with long slender leaves and ferns. That's usually pretty easy to fix by offering them "kitty greens." Pet stores usually carry the seeds for this.

Bay Village, OH

Can't go wrong with catmint. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/search.php?q=catmint&Search=Search+PlantFiles A nice fuzzy purplish plant that cat's love. Homegrown catnip and a pot of green grass.

Many cat sites have a list of cat friendly and poisonous to cats plant lists...I've used cats.com and then searched for plants.

Leiden, Netherlands

Thanks for the replies. The area will be quite shady, and I do intend to keep the plants outside year-round. I will get some general plants for my cats grazing nature, but I was just wondering what nice looking plants are safe - should they have a bite of a leaf when I'm not watching! :)

Vicksburg, MS(Zone 8a)

Ferns would do well in shade. My cats eat on the ones I have on my front porch and none of them has ever shown any ill effects from it.

Ayrshire Scotland, United Kingdom

You will find that cats and dogs are far more clever than we think and know most plants to avoid as they have a more sensitive nose than we have, however it is always safer to know what plants you are growing should anything go wrong and the animal takes ill.
Growing Catmint (nepeta) is the best idea for your cat as this is also a tonic for the cat, they love it, I grow several in my garden as one single plant will soon be devoured by the cat so an extra few helps save the plant from total distruction as there is more time to regrow if there are more than one, they are also very beautiful low growing feathery, ground covering plants. I am not sure IF a Passion flower will survive your cold winters outdoors in the Netherlands, I think you get a really cold night frost too and the foliage and roots in a pot would possibly be killed by these conditions. I would be more inclined to search for plants that grow all year outside in your climate, but grow these in Larger pots, you could go along to your local Library/bookstore to look at books on growing plants in a small garden or container garden that would be able to endure your cold winter conditions, even if it means you would have to offer these plants some winter protection with things like horticultural garden fleece wrapped around the plants for the winter and remove this once you see new growth appearing come spring. Plants are expensive as are good quality pots, so it would be a shame if you spent a lot of money and then the plants never survived the cold winters, also some pots will crack in really cold spells as the soil can freeze and expand inside the pots killing the roots, I would hate you to be so disappointed, so maybe do some further research on pots and plants to survive your winters outdoors. Good Luck. WeeNel.

(Laura) Olympia, WA(Zone 8a)

Here is a list of cat friendly plants http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/881153/

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