Pet Friendly Landscape Tips

When it comes to pets and the yard, it will be easier to keep pets out of the proverbial dog house if you do a few things to accommodate their needs and to eradicate ongoing problems.  

Even a small water feature will cool pets on hot days.

Cool pets with a water feature.

• Most people think that water features are anything but pet-friendly and worry about having both pets and a water feature in their yard. In reality, water features are good for dogs.
• Water features provide an ongoing source of drinking water, but you need to use non-toxic cleaners in the water. Even a pond-less (stream like) feature will provide the water a pet needs.
• They also allow dogs to cool their feet. Since dogs perspire through their feet, keeping their feet cool helps them cope with the heat of summer.
• Making sure dogs stay hydrated on hot days when you are away from home is a major challenge solved by a water feature. A pet-friendly feature requires a few design and maintenance considerations, but little to no more expense than any other water feature.

Deal with puddles.

• Sporting breeds instinctively dig when they see water, so the best solution is to eradicate low spots that become puddles and lead to muddy paw prints across the floor.
• Short term fixes are as easy as placing rocks or bricks in holes and depressions. Swampy and puddle areas due to low spots in the yard or drainage problems should be dealt with by re-grading for the long-term solution.

Create shade.

• Female dogs, especially, like to nest and will dig a nest in cool places next to foundations. In wet weather, the nesting area holds water that can lead to foundation problems. This is one reason why dogs need to be encouraged to find shade in the right places.
• If there are few tree-shaded areas encourage dogs to seek shade by giving access to the north and east sides of the house or by making other shaded areas like the space underneath a trampoline accessible.

Beware of dangers on decks.

• Sadly, many dog owners have learned what dangerous places decks can be for their pets who have suffered heat strokes and other mishaps by being confined to the deck in hot weather. Dark wood decking gets extremely hot and wood decking often has painful splinters if not sanded regularly.
• If you are building or replacing a deck, consider a more pet-friendly choice if your pets will spend any time on the deck. One made of recycled products like Trex in a light, reflective color will be cooler and less maintenance than wood. Decks from recycled products are also splinter-free.

Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

Plant a container today, pick a salad tomorrow

In less than 3 square feet, you can grow a salad plus some herbs to flavor it and flowers that are as practical as they are pretty. You can grow them all in a movable, self-watering, self-fertilizing container called an EarthBox which ALCC has in place again this year in the 9News Kitchen Garden.


Anyone with a small balcony or patio that has light can use an EarthBox--or any container for that matter--to grow favorite combinations of flowers, herbs and veggies. Dimensions of this planter are small-space friendly at 29 inches wide, 13 1/2 inches deep and 11 inches high.


At the time of purchase, the box comes with enough soil and slow-release fertilizer for the first growing season. All you have to do is add plants and pour water in to the water reservoir. When plants are small, water will need to be replaced every few days. When the plants are mature and bearing fruit, the reservoir may need to be re-filled every day.

These plants, in the EarthBox at 9News, are well suited for container gardening.

Cucumber 'Lemon' - a cucumber that looks just like a lemon. Though somewhat drought-tolerant, be aware that cucumbers are typically shallow-rooted and require regular watering. Harvest before the cukes get too big as the plant will stop producing if mature cukes are left on the vine.

Tomato 'Grape' - the small size of these tomatoes makes them popular for salads.


Squash 'Papaya Pear' - produces high yields of 6-oz., pear-shaped summer squash that have tender flesh and great flavor. It produces fruit all season long.

Pepper 'Red Cheese' - a sweet, round pimento pepper that grows to about 18 inches tall by 12 inches wide.


Peppers: 'Redskin' and 'Mowhawk' - grow only 8 to 10 inches high--but produce large, healthy fruit over well-branched plants. The peppers grow 4 to 5 inches long and can be picked green or after they mature to a rich red color.

Add some flowers that do more than look good!
Nasturtium 'Peach Melba' - here's a flower that's pretty, edible (adds a peppery flavor to salads) and also deters whiteflies and squash bugs. It's a keeper.

Marigolds - in addition to adding great color, they also help repel insects.

Enjoy these combos in your containers and the tasty salads that are soon to follow!


Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

Vining plants like squash grow best planted from seed 

Time to plant more veggies!

It's been 4-6 weeks since most gardeners planted the first crop of veggies--like lettuce, mustard greens, carrots, onions and radishes--that can be planted early. These plants are all getting a good start on the growing season and some can be harvested soon.

When these veggies are picked, where's the replacement? That needs to get going right away by planting a second crop of cool season veggies. And since we're moving into summer, those cool season veggies would thrive best if planted in a somewhat shaded location.



Sequential plantings during the summer will ensure a consistent harvest for months. You might be able to go all season long without having to buy a head of lettuce!

It's also time to plant warm season veggies

Now that the weather and soil are warming up, get the warm season veggies growing. Some varieties are best to grow from seed, such as corn, squash, cucumber, pumpkins and melons.

A general rule of thumb is that any vine-like plant in the squash family should be started from seed as these plants don't transplant well. In fact, plants like pumpkin started in the garden from seed will actually catch up in size to a transplanted one.

Vegetable plants started indoors that can be transplanted easily include tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and many herbs.

Before you buy

Look at the root system of plants. If roots look or smell moldy, don't buy the plant. Also, check for insects by brushing against the plant. If you see white flies, don't buy the plant as these flies are difficult to deal with--and they are very common on veggies.

White fly deterrent: nasturtium--the annual flower--is a deterrent to white flies. Plant nasturtium with your veggies and harvest the flowers to toss into your salads. These flowers are edible and add a peppery flavor!

Tips for tomatoes:

Proper support for tomatoes improves exposure to sunlight and helps protect against breakage in strong winds. Use staking material or metal tomato cages for support.

Pruning tomato plants can double the harvest. Pruning away the lowest branches gets more sunlight onto the soil and promotes better plant growth and yield. As the tomato plant grows, continually prune away the lowest branches. For large plants, you can remove up to 18 inches of the lowest branches.



Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC