Poisonous Plants To Dogs Cats

English Ivy (Hedera helix) is just so easy to grow!! It is evergreen and will rapidly grow up and around nearby trees, walls, and trellis work. It provides excellent ground cover also in the absence of grass, growing to a limited height of about 6 inches.

It is an ideal plant for the back gardens of suburbia since it is tolerant of poor quality soils and air pollution, the English Ivy is a hardy plant and can withstand temperatures as low as -20 degrees F.

There are two kinds of leaves associated with the English Ivy—

-          The ‘juvenile’ leaves which are typical in the early ivy ’creeping’ stage. These leaves carry 9 lobes and are about 6 inches long. Normally the color can be either dark green, or variegated white, yellow or silver.

Tags: English Ivy, Evergreen, Ground Cover, Hedera helix

Poison Hemlock ( Conium maculatum) is a native of Europe, but is now widely spread throughout the USA where it lives in ditches, roadsides and pastureland.

It is a biennial herbal plant with a strong taproot producing fine lateral roots. The stems of this upright are covered at all stages of growth with purple spots.

The leaves of the Poison Hemlock are almost fern like, and have a strong smell similar to that of the Parsnip. They are small, with the lower leaves being on long stalks attached to the stem of the plant, and the upper leaves on shorter stalks.

The plant produces small white flowers during May-August which form branched umbrella like clusters, which resemble the flowers found on the Parsley plant.

Tags: Biennial, Herbal, Poison Hemlock. Conium maculatum

This variety of philodendron is a native of Southern Mexico. It is commonly used as an  houseplant but may be seen in gardens also it seldom grows over 8 feet tall and about 4 feet wide.

The leaves can grow large if outside, but indoor plants obtained from garden centers  are usually able to be accommodated in 12 inch pots, so the split leaf plant is more manageable as a houseplant.

The leaves are very attractive and are split into ‘fingers’ down the length of the shiny, green leaves, hence the name split leaf. As a houseplant it readily adapts to most environments and is easy to grow.

Tags: Children, Garden, houseplant, Philodendron, Split Leaf

With the increase in health consciousness in ourselves, many people are now becoming conscious of the health needs of our pet animals especially in paying more attention to the health of our pet cats and dogs.

Pet owners are now turning to giving their pets more nutritional and fresh foods rather than the unhealthy canned meats traditionally churned out as pet food.

But care should be taken with the kind of foods we give our pets since there are certain foods which can be poisonous, and cause adverse reactions in the animals, ranging from mild poisoning, to more serious conditions. Below are listed some foods which are poisonous to pets, each of which can have a differing metabolic reaction to the substance.

Tags: Foods, Health Consciousness, Pet Animals, Poisonous

The Saddle Leaf is one of the tree varieties of Philodendron. It has very large glossy leaves with each leaf being split into separate fingers.

If the saddle leaf is given plenty of space it will develop a short, thick trunk which can reach about 5 feet in diameter. Care should be taken in locating the plant since poor light conditions will weaken the stalks, resulting in the large, heavy leaves to droop and fall.

The Philodendron Tree plant likes a bright yet filtered light, and following an initial soaking with water should be allowed to dry out prior to watering again. High conditions of humidity are required for the well being of the plant.

Tags: Fingers, Leaves, Philodendron, Saddle Leaf

The Dieffenbachia plant or dumb cane as it is more commonly known is a tropical plant which will grow freely indoors, and with its highly variegated leaves is in much demand as a decorative plant on homes and offices.

Whilst it grow up to 10 feet tall in its native tropical environment as an indoor plant it grows only to the size of a small shrub. But despite its highly decorative appearance the leaves of the plant are extremely poisonous and if chewed by a dog can have a serious toxic effect on the animal.

The toxins are in the form of oxalates in the plant, and if ingested, combine with the calcium within the body of the dog to form calcium oxalate crystals.

Tags: Chewed, Dieffenbachia, Dumb Cane, Poisonous

This plant is suitable for growth in either an outdoor greenhouse or  a container indoors. The Ribbon Plant is a native of the Solomon Islands, and whilst it has foliage, no flowers are produced so it is grown for its greenery rather than for any floral display.

The leaves produced by the Ribbon flat are green and flat. They are long and narrow, tapering to a point at the end. The leaves have a tendency to trail over the edge of the container, making them an ideal plant for hanging baskets.

The plant does well if located in a sunny position with mild humidity. The Ribbon Plant needs the compost to be kept moist at all times, but any water given should be non acidic, and the supply reduced during its dormancy period in the winter months.

Tags: Flowers, Foliage, Humidity, Ribbon Plant, Sunny

This Burn Plant, also called Aloe Vera originates from N.America. It is a succulent which carries spikes on its leaves which can be painful to touch.

The thick and fleshy leaves are of a grey-green color with whitish striations for their entire length, and exude a gel like clear substance when sliced or broken open. The flowers are yellow and have a tubular shape.

The Burn Plant has both medicinal properties, but the substance which comes from inside the skin of the plant is mildly toxic and can cause internal and external irritation if ingested.

Some Health Benefits of Burn Plant.

-          The gel from the leaf can be used to treat and soothe minor burns, sun burn, and other skin ailments.

Tags: Aloe Vera, Burn Plant, Health, Leaves, Substance, Toxic

This variety of philodendron is a man made hybrid also, although it is a relative newcomer to the houseplant family.

Its highly decorative leaves make a splendid display, and the whole plant has a small compact shrub appearance being no more than 2 feet in width and height, but no flower is produced.

The new leaves unfold to reveal a highly lustrous bronze-copper color which fades to a dark glossy olive color as the plant grows older and becomes established. The leaves emerge from the head of the plant rather than sprouting from the sides.

Tags: Decorative Leaves, Hybrid, Philodendron. Man Made

The amaryllis produces flowers from a bulb, and although the correct name is Hippeastrum, for marketing reasons the bulb is sold as amaryllis. The amaryllis plant is often called either Jersey Lily or Lily Langtry, and originates from South Africa.

The beautiful reddish flowers grow on stalks from the bulb to a height of  up to 2 feet and typically each stalk will carry about six flowers, each bulb planted will produce two stalks in the growing season and if cared for correctly the amaryllis bulb will continue to flower for many future years.

Tags: Amaryllis, Bulb, Flower, Hippeastrum, Jersey Lily