Hello Sample.

Welcome back to another edition of THE PENCIL CASE! As always, each issue focuses on a theme to encourage a fresh look at garden design and graphics. Since today is officially Doggie Date Night let's get inspired to create a: DOG FRIENDLY GARDEN

DOG FRIENDLY GARDENS.

Dogs and gardens have a lot in common. Both are good for our mind, body and soul. How can we not smile when a bouncy, happy pup greets us with excitement each day?

The photos above are the sweet dogs in our life: Gunther (our grumpy wire-haired dachshund), Sunny (our high-energy heeler), and Maggie (my mom's beautiful pup who recently passed). They are such a special part of our gardens (even when they break a twig or two).

Before we adopted Gunther I dreamed of working in my garden with a sweet, quiet dog sitting beside me. What I envisioned and what came to be didn't quite align. Gunther spends more time playing detective by sniffing every inch of our yard, while Sunny engages in the neighborhood drama of barking dogs while running swiftly back and forth along the fence lines. Not as quiet and peaceful as I thought, but it brought something better into our garden: bountiful energy. Yes, plants get crushed at times and Sunny insists on digging holes to lay in under our garden furniture (we have gravel patios), but I wouldn't want it any other way. 

THINGS I'VE LEARNED.

Rather than giving you hard-edged rules for designing dog-friendly gardens, I instead want to share some things I've learned over the years:

If you can enclose your garden with a fence, do it. We didn't have a fence until two years ago and my entire world changed for the better. I could finally relax when I was outside without constantly worrying about the dogs wandering off. Fences create a beautiful wall/edge for your garden too. Double bonus.

Think about where your dogs spend their time when outside. We realized right away that Sunny liked to run up and down the fence lines (high-impact), while Gunther just moseyed in-between plants (low-impact). We decided to not plant anything along the fence line so Sunny had her space to run. As the plants grow larger, no one will even know about her secret paths (unless you hear her barking).

Be okay with your garden not being perfect. Dogs trample, pee, and dig holes. You will have to think creatively on where to place plants, paths, and other elements so you and your dogs can enjoy a beautiful space together. Honestly, I've loved this challenge and have learned a lot as a designer in the process.

INSPIRATION.

Loving this article on How to Landscape a Dog-Friendly Garden for a few more helpful tips.

I wrote this post on A Dog-Friendly Garden several years ago after I visited a lovely Iowa home. The owner adopts special-needs dogs and incorporated many sweet details into her pet-happy landscape. 

This article on 12 Tips for a Dog-Friendly Garden includes even more inspiration, plus some thoughts on plant selection.

LET'S DO THIS!

How do your dogs and garden co-exist? Drop me note or tag me on Instagram @paper.garden.workskhop.

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Thanks for letting me visit your inbox once again! I look forward to seeing you in two weeks.

Cheers,

Lisa

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PAPER GARDEN WORKSHOP