House plants are a sight to behold in our homes. Bringing the outside in can create a peaceful and tranquil serenity in our living spaces. Except when we have pets. These beautiful hazards can turn us off from having indoor jungles.
Picking a houseplant for your home can be an exciting time. Especially when the weather starts to improve, and you get that fresh feeling spring brings.
You head to the local garden centre and peruse all the wonderful varieties on offer. Only to find that there’s no information on the safety of pets around these beautiful new plants.
What plants can I have without making my beloved pet sick?
I’ve spent a great deal of time researching which plants are safe and unsafe and here I list the plants I find bring a lot of greenery to the home while keeping in mind what Mr Bump may or may not want to supplement his diet with.
This link is to the RHS website where you can manually find plants.
This list is not going to have every single plant you can buy. Since there are thousands of plant species it would be impossible to list them all. This list is for the most common houseplants in the home.
PEACE LILY, Spathiphyllum.
Toxic.
A large plant that has excellent white flowers can really brighten the room. A very easy plant to care for and can be a real focal point of any room. Unfortunately, though, this plant is toxic. So if you do bring this excellent plant home keep it away from the reach of your dog or cat.
TRUE LILY, Lillium.
Very Toxic.
Usually bought as cut flowers, beautiful it may be but this plant must be kept out of reach of your cat or dog. Even a small amount can be devastating to your pet’s kidneys and renal failure is a literal matter of time. Even the water from the plant sitting in is highly toxic.
BUTTERFLY PLANT. Oxalis triangularis.
Semi-Toxic
This beautiful plant is rather usual but is truly stunning. With big dark purple leaves and small pale-looking flowers, it brings lots of colour to our homes. Although this plant is toxic, I know that Mr Bump has eaten my plant a few times with no noticeable issues. I still try and keep this out of his reach, in small amounts this plant won’t cause problems in large quantities, however, can be damaging to cats.
MONTSERRA – Montserra deliciosa.
Toxic
Often referred to as the Swiss cheese plant. This large-leaf tall plant is a sight to have in your house with its broad finger-like leaves resembling that of Swiss cheese. It is, however, toxic to pets. Seeing as this plant needs to be housed primarily on the floor for it to grow to its full height it would be best to avoid it altogether unless you know you can keep your cat or dog away from it.
CHRYSANTHEMUMS
Toxic
A beautiful flowering plant that has bright, fantastic-looking flowers. There are many different species of chrysanthemums on the market, but there are unfortunately none that are safe for pets. These plants can cause a range of ailments that will need vet treatment immediately.
Orchids
Non Toxic
This might come with a sigh of relief but Orchids are safe for cats and dogs in your house. I still would keep them out of reach from your little ones as they might not agree with their insides and you’ll be cleaning up after them but in terms of toxicity, you’ll be fine to have this in your house.
Conclusion.
Although there are ways to keep pets safe from houseplants there are a few out there that can do real harm to your loved one. It is always best to err on the side of caution when deciding on which houseplants you want to bring home.