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The Cat-Safe Garden: Catnip Heaven!
Posted by: jn at 6:48PM MT on July 29, 2009
Cats are less likely to bother your plants and flowers if you have catnip in your garden. Spaced strategically throughout your garden will allow the neighborhood cats and stray cats to choose areas away from your plants in which to play, rest, seek shade and nibble on their favorite herb (the only herb truly safe for them).
In my garden, catnip is in planters on the deck, a larger planter at a far end of the garden and a catnip patch containing several plants on the other end of the garden. The catnip patch gets partial to full sun, but gets enough shade at different times of the day to allow the cats to rest and nap under a shade tree.
My neighbor cats and stray cats with their catnip:
As you can see, they're happy. When they're happy, I'm happy :)
Posted by: jn at 6:17PM MT on July 29, 2009
My Kitty Garden:
 Small, simple, low maintenance, and for the cats, their private little haven. If you're handy or know someone who is, a free downloadable plan for the footbridge can be found here. We altered it to include posts, and sailor's rope. TIP: Most footbridges made of cedar, red oak, or redwood weather well, as far as strength is concerned. However, redwood for example, is difficult to maintain it's original color, so a weatherproof water sealant is not enough, it will still weather and may turn gray (giving it the appearance of a weathered look, yet still very strong). We learned the hard way, the first year, it turned gray (when the snow disappeared), so we stained it with a light red color as close as we could match to redwood. Garden Color:  As mentioned in the earlier article, additional color in the garden is found in red hummingbird feeders, stained-glass garden stakes, the footbridge, colorful planters and colorful hanging baskets. The Cats In Their Garden (neighbor cats and stray cats, my cats are kept strictly indoors):  Some of the neighbor cats and stray cats. As you can see, they love the garden. Cat-Safe Garden Plants:  Astilbe (pink blooms) Creeping Phlox (Emerald Blue) Hosta (Varigated and Blue - small white blooms) Weigela (small lavender blooms) Lamb's Ear (not to be confused with Elephant Ear!) Coral Bells Echinacea (Ruby Star - pale lavendar blooms) Sedum (ground cover, lines one side of the garden path, small yellow blooms) Sedum (another type - October Daphne) Blue Oat Grass Catnip (Nepeta cataria) Hanging baskets: Fuschia, and various (I know little to nothing about what's in the baskets, except to say they look beautiful and have vibrant colors, so I get them once a year) Shrubs: Blue Chip Junipers Dwarf Burning Bush Viburnums Ready to be inspired?  Cat-owners in Australia know how to do it right. These are indoor cat-enclosures, or, indoor cat gardens, but can be used for inspiration! Or perhaps just a design inspiration... 
Posted by: jn at 6:15PM MT on July 29, 2009
It is fairly easy to create a cat-safe garden, even if you don't have a green thumb (like me). The hard part is choosing what type of design you want, with the space you already have, and sticking to your budget. For example, my garden is a fairly small space and the ground was slightly sloped, so leveling an area for a stepping-stone garden path was important, yet leaving the incline for good drainage. I also wanted to create the illusion the space is actually bigger than it is, so I carefully chose plants that would fit the space, and those plant types that wouldn't overcrowd others.
The most important aspect about a cat-safe garden is choosing plants safe for cats (non-toxic). Planning ahead will save you time because you'll only shop for those you know are safe for cats, should you have kitties who like to nibble. Stick to your chosen list and try to refrain from impulse buying (impulse buying gets you in trouble with spending, plants aren't cheap!). In this and the following article, I'll list the plants I chose for my garden. For landscaping, I chose perennials only. I chose them because a) I have a black thumb and am likely to kill anything if the roots don't grow deep into the ground and b) I wanted very low maintenance and didn't want to have to spend more each year to have fresh annuals and c) some perennials are least likely to be toxic to cats if ingested. However, cat-safe perennials I chose don't necessarily bloom with fantastic color (other than yellows, whites, lavenders or pinks), so I compensate in other areas of the garden with hanging baskets of annuals, spaced strategically, which provide any color I'd like. For additional color in the garden, I have red hummingbird feeders, stained glass garden stakes, colorful planters on the deck, and a redwood footbridge over a dry "creek" of river rock and colorful pebbles. I don't want to clutter my small space, so I keep it minimal and I can expect the same amount of color through spring, summer and fall by the types of plants and the annuals in the hanging baskets. A white trellis is a nice backdrop to bring out the color as well as the various greens in the foliage and other plants (the trellis also serves to hang bird feeders). The most essential elements for a cat-safe garden, beyond the non-toxic plants, are: A garden path, so curious kitties can explore. I chose to use stepping stones, but you can use whatever material you'd like. If I had a larger space, laying the stepping stones in circles or half-moons around larger plants would create a cool yellow-brick-road for the cats to explore. But since it is a small space, I chose to use bark mulch as the main landscape cover, with the pathway winding through the garden in an S-shape. Bark mulch helps maintains the soil, can be placed around the plants without harming them, and can be added to the garden when necessary (usually once a year, in fall or spring). Mulch also gives a deep landscape color in which to show off your other foliage and greenery. WARNING: DO NOT BUY CHOCOLATE or COCOA BEAN MULCH from home and garden centers. It contains theobromine which is toxic to animals (methylxanthine toxicosis )! We buy our mulch at a reasonable cost from Rocky Mountain Compost, they do not use chemicals. They have a variety of colored mulch, such as chocolate brown, black, gold, autumn red, even blue. For our space, we can get 1/2 to a full pickup load of mulch for around $40. A water feature. All critters in the garden love, and require water. If you have enough space and can afford one, a small water fountain or pond would be ideal. But, each requires regular maintenance and I didn't want to have to spend all my time with maintenance, so I have a birdbath and a stainless steel water dish on the deck. The birdbath is for the birds of course, but the cats actually drink from it. Please folks, keep your birdbaths impeccably clean on a regular basis, it's healthier for all the critters in your garden. Shade. Not only do you appreciate shade in your garden, but so do critters and so do your plants. Many perennials as well as annuals need varying degrees of shade throughout the day, and some do well in partial shade/sun. A little preparation in advance will help you design your garden for shade and sun and you'll know where your plants will thrive the best. On hot summer days, shade is crucial so critters can rest, nap and cool off. Catnip. Absolutely essential, a garden is not a garden without catnip. When buying catnip, you can either plant catnip seeds or buy established "starter" plants. I prefer the established plants because it is a hit or miss with seeds. Also, with seeds, you cannot guarantee the cats won't eat them before they've had a chance to grow to a sturdier height. Choose an area in your garden with equal amounts of sun and shade, catnip usually does best in more sun. Make sure your catnip patch is large enough for kitties to rock and roll in because they most certainly will. Also make sure the area is large enough to accommodate seeding, because they will seed if allowed to. Catnip grows to about 2-3 feet in height, so the more established the plants are, the stronger they are. The cats will break many of the stalks as they play with them but the majority of the plant is hardy and will keep coming back. I have my catnip planted in planters scattered on a deck, as well as a planter on one side of the garden and a catnip patch as well. This ensures the cats can choose where they'd prefer to play, and will always have a steady supply should they get too rambunctious with one or more plants. Catnip is also a perennial, so with care, it should come back every year for about 3 years or so. By the way, it is the Nepetia Cataria type of catnip you want, NOT Cat-mint. Sylvan's Nursery and Gainan's usually have a good stock of established catnip for sale in late spring or early summer, reasonably priced at around $4-5. Call ahead so you can be sure they have them, or so they can order or reserve them for you. NON-TOXIC fertilizers or plant foods/sprays. I do not use fertilizer other than soil fertilizer at planting time. I use only a spray bottle with mild dishsoap and water to spray plants that bugs might find tasty. An occasional use of Miracle Grow mixed with water keeps my plants in tip-top shape, but I take care to only pour the mixture around the base of the plant, so the foliage is not saturated (in the event a curious kitty might nibble). I do not use bug-killers or slug baits or anything of the sort. So far, my plants are doing well without the use of toxic chemicals. To use any chemicals or bug baits, moth balls etc., defeats the purpose of a non-toxic, cat-safe garden. The neighbor cats and stray cats never seem to bother anything in their garden. They are not interested in nibbling plants (except their catnip), they can barely reach the hanging baskets, but don't bother them in the least, they enjoy walking through the garden on the path, and love their catnip patch. I've been creative enough to make it both interesting and safe for them and it's a daily adventure for them. They don't dig, they don't topple planters over, and if they urinate, it's ok, because the garden hose is nearby and I simply rinse the plant off. I've never found little "surprises", but there is grass at the far end of the garden for them to use if they must. I don't worry about the birds, since their feeders are hung from the trellis and out of reach to the cats - the cats seem to be more interested in exploring, lounging on the deck, or playing in the catnip. At night, we have a solar outdoor light which casts shadows throughout the garden, cats are nocturnal by nature, so they have as much fun playing hide and seek at night as they do in the daytime. I enjoy the neighbor cats and the stray cats, I love their company when I'm in the garden (their presence makes me forget the garden chores), and there's just nothing sweeter than watching them enjoy it as well. Our little garden haven keeps them out of the crankier neighbor's yards, so it's a win-win situation! Coming up next, photos of my kitty garden and my list of cat-safe plants...
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Because life ain't worth living without the dog who sniffs the guests and the cat who shreds the toiletpaper. All things fun and educational in the crazy world of pets.
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