5 Beautiful Indoor Plants that are Safe for Dogs
Does your pooch like to smooch (nibble) on the foliage of plants inside your house?
Or perhaps you have furry visitors from time to time, and you want to make sure the plants inside your home don’t pose a threat to their health.
It’s nice to know that you can get plants that are considered non-toxic for dogs.
Here are five luscious indoor plants that you can grow in your home or office with peace of mind knowing they are non-toxic for your furry friend.
- Chlorophytum comosum Ocean
This compact variety of Spider Plant is an excellent choice if you like low maintenance indoor plants. It has long, bright leaves with cream coloured edges and will brighten up a dull area of your home. You might want to plant Chlorophytum Ocean in a hanging plant because the leaves look lovely as they grow long and start to overflow the basket. Let the soil dry out in between watering, and be sure to plant this one in a pot with a drainage hole.
- Microsorum crocodyllus
The common name for this plant is very cool; it’s the Crocodile Fern. If you grow a crocodile fern inside your home, put it in a brightly lit area (indirect light, please). A pot on the windowsill is fine, maybe on top of a desk or even in the bathroom. Plant this one in free-draining soil, which you will need to water regularly when the soil is dry. You will be rewarded with attractive large leaves and a stunning plant that can grow up to a metre wide and tall.
- Fittonia verschaffetii Lovers
This one is also known as Mosaic Plant or Nerve Plant and sometimes Painted Net Leaf. It’s a cute little plant with white and green patterned leaves. Native to South American rainforests, it likes humidity and indirect sunlight. If you get natural light in the bathroom, this is a classic bathroom plant, or it’s also well suited to a terrarium. When choosing a pot for your Fittonia, make sure you choose one with a drainage hole and use good quality free-draining potting mix.
- Calathea makoyana
Commonly called the Peacock plant, this variety of Calathea has striking colours. It has a light and dark green stripes on the top of its leaves, and underneath, you will find a deep purple colour. If you are a bit nervous about whether or not you can care for a Calathea, this one is probably the most easy-care Calathea of all. You can keep this one pretty much anywhere in the house as long as it’s out of bright sunlight and gets some humidity. It’s well suited to office desks and shelves, or you could even try the bathroom.
- Platycerium netherlands
You might know this fern better by its common name Compact Staghorn. You can grow these inside the house, but they are better suited to a warmer climate. This plant is suited to a well-lit house area, but please keep it out of bright direct sunlight.
You can grow Compact Staghorn’s mounted to a piece of wood or in a hanging pot which may keep it out of reach of dogs anyway.
Naturally, you still probably don’t want your dog (or anyone else’s) chewing on your house plants. However, it’s nice to know that if it happens, you don’t need to worry about the health of any curious plant nibbling dog in your home.