Placing certain plants near the edges of your garden will deter your dogs.
If you have dogs, you know how difficult it is to keep them out of your garden beds. You can plant certain plants, however, to deter them. Generally, dogs do not like any plants with a strong smell, or plants with thorns. Plant these plants around the edges of your garden, and they work almost as well as a fence. Does this Spark an idea?
Prickly Pear
The prickly pear is a type of blooming cactus characterized by large, circular pads. These pads are covered in long thorns, and the plant produces the prickly pear fruit. This cactus is part of the Opuntia family, found throughout the United States. It is found in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) hardiness zones 4 through 11, and can grow in elevations over 10,000 feet depending on the variety. The prickly pear cactus can grow up to 7 feet tall and prefers well-drained soil. They also require full sun and generally bloom from late spring through mid-summer.
Pepper Plant
The pepper plant is a part of the Piperaceae family. It creates a black, green, red or white fruit. You can eat this fruit raw or cooked, as in the case of bell and yellow peppers. Or, you can dry this fruit and create peppercorn spices. Pepper plants are a perennial that can grow between 3 and 6 nches tall, and they hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9. They require full sun, and will produce fruit when it's between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Pepper plants generally prefer well-drained soils.
Coleus Canina
This plant is technically a weed, but it works well at keeping both dogs and cats out of gardens. The bluish flowers have a strong smell that only animals can pick up on. Plant around the edges of your garden, and generally animals won't go anywhere near the garden. This plant is often found in natural animal repellents. Coleus canina prefers full sun and well-drained soil. It creates oblong-shaped, lined, green leaves, and it is a part of the Lamiaceae family. This plant reaches about 2 feet tall.
Huckleberry
Evergreen huckleberry is a type of flowering shrub that creates pinkish blossoms. It also creates blue to purple berries, and the fruit is edible. The size of this bush is what usually keeps dogs out of your garden bed; they get up to 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide. They grow in USDA zones 7 through 9, and they flower from March through May. Evergreen huckleberry prefers full sun to shade, and well-drained, moist soil
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