You can have a houseful of plants and pets this winter, and I’m going to prove it! A lot of people have been asking us about pet-friendly plants lately, so I think now’s a great time for a refresher before you start hoarding indoor plants for winter companionship. Here are the plants I think you should buy if you’ve got fur babies with the nibbles, how to care for them over the winter months, and where to put them to keep them safely out of reach of curious mouths.
It may surprise you to find that there are many pet-friendly plant options available to you that are perfectly suited for Guelph households! Here are some of my favourites:
These are a must-have for me, as they’re tremendously popular among pet owners for their air-purifying properties and non-toxic nature. They’re also incredibly hardy, to the point where it will be fine even if your cat or dog chews it down to the nubs. Spider plants are also perfect for beginners and will love you no matter what type of light you throw at them, so if your Guelph home suffers from inconsistent or nonexistent sunlight indoors over winter, this is the pet-friendly plant for you! Just make sure to water them when the top 2 inches of their soil goes dry.
I’m a wee bit partial to ferns, particularly as a pet-friendly option. One of my personal favourites is the Birds Nest fern, but they’re all perfect choices for an indoor jungle in my books! They’re lush, exotic-looking, and—although tempting for cats and dogs to chew and swat relentlessly—completely harmless if “accidentally” ingested. They also do well with low to moderate light, but the one challenge with keeping them indoors over the winter is how dry the air gets. Ferns are happier with a bit more humidity, so we normally recommend using a saucer of pebbles and water to create a unique microenvironment that will keep them hydrated and happy. Being low-light plants, you can also keep your ferns in your bathroom or kitchen to provide them with more natural sources of humidity.
I love calatheas for their unique personalities, colours, textures, and beautiful leaf shapes, plus they’re super pet-friendly! However, they do require a bit more care than some of the other plants on this list. Be careful when watering these guys, and make sure they receive consistent moisture. I’ve found using bottom watering and placing them in indirect light has given me the most success with my calatheas in the past.
Because of how attractive their grass-like fronds are to cats and dogs alike, it’s a good thing that palms are also pet-friendly! Palms are also known to help improve your home’s air quality by removing toxins from their environment, so you can feel even better about adding these to your winter collection! Palms prefer bright but indirect sunlight and consistent watering, but allow their soil to dry between deep waterings.
Air plants are unique because they don’t require soil to grow. This soil-free lifestyle means you can put them anywhere you want, safely out of the reach of prying paws and cold, wet noses. Glue them on driftwood, hang them on the wall, and voila!
Air plants are easy to care for because they suck all the nutrients they need out of the air, but they do still need to be watered. Soak them every five to ten days or so, in a bucket or sink of clean water for 5 to 10 minutes. Take them out, turn them upside down, and shake them out so no water droplets get stuck in the axils of their leaves. Super easy, right?
Succulents are a good pet-friendly plant alternative because they fit nicely on desks and shelves, safely out of reach of curious paws and snouts. Even if they do occasionally get nibbled on, you can breathe easy knowing they’re non-toxic. They need bright light and consistent watering year-round and don’t like to go from soaking wet to bone dry, so a watering schedule is key.
Just because you’ve filled your home with pet-friendly options doesn’t mean you want your fur babies getting into them! Not only can curious kitties and puppy noses quickly reduce your indoor collection to pots of dirt, but even non-toxic plants can irritate your pets’ tummies if ingested in large enough quantities. Luckily, there are many ways you can continue to proudly display your houseplants while keeping them safely out of reach from wandering paws. Here are some of my favourite methods:
That’s my sound advice on pet-friendly plants for the 2023 winter season, but as always, come and see us at Royal City Nursery if you aren’t sure about a plant’s safety, care, or health. We’ll happily answer any questions or concerns you may have and help you stock up on even more pet-friendly plants for your collection!
