Monday, July 13, 2009

Dog-Friendly Wildlife Gardening

Is it possible to share your life with rambunctious dogs and still garden for wildlife? Yes, says Kim Winter, NWF’s habitat programs manager, who owns three mixed-breed dogs ranging in size from 30 to 80 pounds.

“It’s trickier to maintain habitat,” she says. “Dogs do destroy plants.” At her home in northern Virginia, Winter takes the “divide and conquer” approach to landscaping: Her pets roam and romp in the backyard while most of her wildlife garden goes in the front.

But you can also successfully mix pups and plants, says Elizabeth Bublitz, a landscape designer and owner of Pawfriendly Landscapes in Golden, Colorado. “Create a Fort Knox effect,” she says, locking up and protecting your plants with raised beds. “Dogs see things differently from humans,” Bublitz explains. “We can use that to our advantage. Most of them see elevated beds as a big wall.” Read the entire article.

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