As we mentioned on a previous occasion, pet-friendly landscapes (petscaping) is one of the most significant trends for next year. More and more people want to enjoy their lush lawns and gardens and offer their furry friends the same happiness. However, our lawn care Allen TX experts say that preparing your landscape for pets is more difficult than it seems. Today, they offer you a short guideline on how to prep your property to provide your four-legged buddy the freedom, health, and space it needs.

1. Allow Your Lawn Care Allen TX Experts to Choose the Right Materials

The main problem to solve is how much space you want to dedicate to your pets, considering that children and pet play is probably the most beautiful thing to watch while sipping a cold drink in summer. Space should be large enough as energetic pets, and kids need to run around and have the time of their life. Now that you planned the area together with your lawn care Allen TX experts, it comes down to the materials:

  • Pick safe, non-toxic, and resilient turf grass – for instance, dogs love 100% perennial rye, and it resists heroically to heavy traffic, running around, and rolling;
  • If you prep an already established lawn for your petscape, remove plants such as azaleas, lilies, and mums, irises, monkshood, lily of the valley and foxglove – they are toxic or even fatal for dogs; check the ASPCA website for the full list of plants to avoid if you want to accommodate the pets.
  • Make sure you include fleas deterring plants such as lavender, mint, and rosemary;
  • Consider the introduction of wheat grass, oat grass or even some strawberries and blueberries – if your dog likes to eat veggies, these plants are healthy for it;
  • Your petscape needs boundaries, so it is a good idea to have your lawn care Allen TX team install thick hedges and shrubs to offer protection and shade; you can also consider hardscape fencing with vertical gardens.

2. Lawn Maintenance Allen TX Experts on Lawn Preparation and Maintenance

When it comes to petscaping, the rule of thumb is “safety.” Here are some mandatory safety measures to take:

  • Pick your mulch with care: avoid cocoa mulch as it can harm dogs if they happen to eat small amounts; pick gravel, hardwood or woodchip mulches instead, as they do not stick to the dog’s paws or coat and they do not cause harm when ingested;
  • Avoid at all costs chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides and switch to organic measures; according to the NIH, there is a 70% higher risk of canine cancer if there is exposure to professionally applied pesticides;
  • Make sure you install a water feature (it has both an aesthetic and functional role); your dog needs to cool off in summer and stay safe from dehydration;
  • Install a cool-off area with shade and water accessibility – a pergola, a kiosk, an arbor centric glade or clearing, even a doghouse; your friend needs to stay safe from the elements all year long if it does not spend the night inside the house.

3. Other Essential Features

Our lawn care Allen TX specialists are here to help you create a perfect place for your pets and kids to have the time of their lives. Among other needed features of this heavenly space there are:

  • Pathways for them to patrol and avoid trampling the turf back and forth;
  • Digging areas if you have a digger on your hands; similar to sandboxes for dogs, digging areas will become their next favorite playground once they learn it is ok to dig there but not in another part of their field;
  • Marking posts for male dogs (decorative hydrants or posts); when they learn to mark their territory with the help of these posts, they will not pee all over the place harming the grasses or flowers.

Call our lawn care Allen TX experts for an evaluation and petscape project! We will offer a free estimate and do our best to provide your furry friends the space they deserve!