I’m in the midst of getting my garden landscaped before moving and a friend recommended a nursery. For the cat-space at the back of the house, I’ve consulted vets, shelter friends and other friends who are more experienced to suggest what I should do.
One of the things suggested was to have flowering plants that would attract insects and butterflies so that the cats would have something interesting to look at.
The nursery suggested Lantana, which is a shrub with beautiful tiny flowers. I love that plant and thought it would be good.
However, I did a google search and this is what I found: http://www.library.illinois.edu/vex/toxic/lantana/lantana.htm
I never knew this beautiful plant is toxic to animals….
I had better check all the other plants the nursery is going to recommend.
If you could suggest some plants that is suitable for landscaping the cat-space, do please leave a comment here.
Thank you!
Comments
3 responses to “Did you know Lantana is a toxic plant?”
Hi Kah Yein,
I’ve been keeping lantana before the cats came, and though I know they are poisonous, I let them be anyway because the cats avoid them. I’ve already kept some catmint saplings aside for you. Let me know when you want them. Oh! And I have a healthy baby aloe vera plant for adoption. No more space in my “garden” but feel bad about throwing it away.
Thanks for the catnip, Chen. I love Lantanas, but since it’s toxic, better not!
Another comment about lantana. It’s also one of my favourite plants because of its burst of colours and its hardiness. I always keep a bush or two near my apartment block entrance so anybody who comes home after a hard day work get a cheerful greeting. I also enjoy the butterflies that hang around them. The butterflies and the colour make the tiny sterile space outside the apartment block into something resembling a garden. So far, I’ve not seen any animals trying to eat or chew the leaves because they have a bad smell and the leaves are as rough as sand paper. Bleh. So, yes, they are poisonous and so if you want to keep them, be careful, but it’s also do-able provided that you keep a watch out for over-inquisitive oral fixated animals. I keep my lantanas in window box planters or on a balcony. Although this is not really out of the cats reach, but it is also not a convenient place to get to. You can consider getting one of those Baba rectangle planters and the metal holder with hooks. Put the lantana in the planter and hook it somewhere high near a window grill. Then you can enjoy the burst of colour and the butterflies too.