It is essential to guarantee that your Shaw rental property is as safe for animals as it is for humans if you are to permit your tenants to have pets. Building a pet-friendly garden does not have to be luxurious or tricky. It requires, however, careful planning. A single-family rental property will attract tenants with pets if space comes with a blooming garden. Pet-proofing your garden can be extremely difficult when you have pets that are determined diggers. But, it’s not impossible to create a safe and durable garden space in your rental property.
A key feature of growing a pet-friendly garden is to know what kind of plants you should include. A variety of plants are poisonous for dogs, cats, and other pets, so choosing safe plants is a good idea in case your tenant’s pet decides to take a bite. If your property already has existing plants, inspect each one, making an inventory of which ones might be toxic. If you find such plants, remove the entire plant and root structure. Do not use chemicals or poisons on the plants, as these can harm pets as well.
Before mapping out your garden space, start with determining which plants you want to include. Pet-friendly gardens often use features like sturdy border plants, planting containers, raised beds, and fences to control which parts of the yard the pet will be able to access. Using large, sturdy plants as a barrier around more delicate plants can help keep pets from trampling and urinating in places you don’t want them to. Container gardening, especially hanging baskets and railing planters can help place garden plants out of reach. Hence, many inexpensive or decorative fencing would encourage pets to use certain areas of the yard while keeping them away from others.
Alternative types of deterrents include adding specific varieties of spices and pungent plants with smells that pets don’t like. As an example, rosemary, sage, and bitter orange plants may keep a curious dog away due to their strong odor. Some experts recommend planting Coleus Canina, sometimes called Dogbane, in areas where pets aren’t wanted. This keeps them away since most cats and some dogs don’t fancy the overpowering smell of this plant. However, the scent is barely noticeable to humans.
Lastly, it is essential to examine what type of fertilizer you are using on your plants. Many varieties of fertilizer and even mulch can be harmful to household pets. Even if you don’t expect your tenant’s pets to have unsupervised access to the garden, it’s best to err on the side of caution. In deciding to choose non-toxic varieties of both fertilizer and mulch, you can help in facilitating to create a pet-safe garden that your tenant will love.
Let your creativity shine through as you design your beautiful garden! All it takes is a bit of outlining, and you’re on your way to a charming garden that can safely withstand the ordinary activities of household pets.
We have a team of Shaw property managers at Real Property Management DC Metro that are ready and capable of guaranteeing that tenants will be pleased with a pet-friendly garden in their homes. Don’t hesitate to contact us online or give us a ring at 202-269-0303 to know more about what we can do for you.
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