Ocimum basilicum – Sweet Basil

Basil is great for rodents and rabbits

This is an extremely well known herb and prolific in various types of cuisine around the world – particularly Italian. The aroma and taste of this plant are instantly recognizable and while the leaves of this plant are very attractive to humans, they are also a real treat for rabbits, tortoises and rodents (particularly degus). The leaves should be given fresh and a few picked from the plant every so often so that overall health of the plant is not impaired.

As well as being an enjoyable treat for rabbits, rodents and tortoises, basil has anti-oxidant properties which are beneficial to the general health of these animals and a few chopped leaves added to food is also good for cats and dogs.

Herbs and Animals

Herbs are Great Natural Remedies

Since putting together our collection of plants for www.plantsforpets.co.uk it has become evident that just about every herb and various spices that we humans use in everyday life has some medicinal benefit, not just to us, but also to a wide variety of animals, including many that we have as pets.

For instance, turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties, as does, parsley, rosemary and marjoram. Basil and thyme are excellent anti-oxidants with thyme also having ant-microbial affects, along with garlic, fennel and rosemary.

When it comes to stomach complaints, ginger and peppermint are useful remedies and peppermint is also useful as it has a calming affect on cats and dogs.

Our website gives a load of information on various herbs (as well as many other plants, including wildflowers) so if you’re looking for a natural alternative to certain medications, it’s definitely worth a look!

Moles vs Euphorbia lathyris (Mole Plant)

If you have ever experienced persistent mole hills appearing in the lawn, you’ll understand how irritating it can be! However, we can’t quite bring ourselves to use mole-traps and even when one of our cats has brought me a live one, I’ve ended up driving a mile or so down the road and releasing it!

Natural Mole Repellent

So, when it comes to moles, perhaps prevention is better than the cure. We at Plants for Pets (www.plantsforpets.co.uk) came across euphorbia lathyris a few years ago when looking for natural repellents. As the name “mole plant” suggests, euphorbia lathyris is reputed by many to be an effective mole repellent (it is also believed to be very resistant to deer).

This is an attractive, stately plant that has blue-green glaucous (slightly succulent-like) leaves with a waxy texture and pale greenish-white veins. In the second season, umbels of tiny yellow flowers appear. The mole plant grows quite quickly and reaches a height of four to five feet.

While not much scientific research appears to be available on the subject, some people seem to put the mole plants repellent quality down to the scent exuded by the roots into the soil and/or the taste it gives to earthworms.

Agastache foeniculum (Blue Giant Hyssop)

Agastache is a lovely garden addition from a looks point of view but this herbaceous perennial is also beneficial to pets and wildlife too.

Loved by Birds and Bees

A few stems of the dried flower spikes are very popular with aviary birds such as finches as well as canaries and budgerigars and they have a pleasant aniseed aroma.

The purple flower spikes are very attractive to bees and wild birds also find giant blue hyssop seeds an important food source in autumn and in warmer climes (no not the UK I’m afraid), this plant is grown to attract hummingbirds!

Some cultures use this plant as a remedy for coughs, fevers and  diarrhea.

Tropaeolum majus (Nasturtium)

Excellent Companion Plants

Here is a plant that is easy to grow and has a multitude of benefits and uses. We at www.plantsforpets.co.uk are quite keen on the climbing varieties of this plant as they look brilliant when grown in among tall or climbing vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers and runner beans.

Aphids Hate Nasturtiums!

Growing nasturtiums among the veg (companion planting) has two major benefits – firstly they act as a repellent to certain insect pests including aphids and whitefly. Secondly, they provide an alternative meal for any slugs and snails in the vicinity. These are very quick-growing plants so a bit of attention from these troublesome molluscs rarely does any harm to established plants. They also tolerate heat pretty well so are quite comfortable in the greenhouse.

If that wasn’t enough (“what there’s more?” we hear you cry!) both the leaves and flowers are edible and are particularly enjoyable to rabbits and tortoises. These are perfectly edible to humans too and have a slightly peppery taste and the leaves and flowers are great in salads.

Vanilla Grass (Hierochloe odorata)

Unlike their more refined feline counterparts, dogs seem to enjoy less than pleasant odors (as any dog walker who passes some fox poo may testify). There a several plants that cats seem to adore, including cat mint (catnip), valerian and cat thyme. Many people know about catnip (although I was amazed when a friend of mine didn’t realise it came from a plant!).

Dogs like the aroma of vanilla grass

So (sorry, got a bit distracted by cats there) – dogs do seem to like one nice smelling thing – vanilla grass. Now this is a herb that has a few names (including holy grass, sweetgrass, seneca grass, buffalo grass and zebrovk) but personally I like ‘vanilla grass’ as basically it is a grass that smells a bit like vanilla…

After scouring the internet, we have found a number of reports that dogs seem to enjoy the smell of this grass and even if your dog does turn its nose up, it’s still a very attractive container plant and is hardy in temperate regions such as the UK. It doesn’t really have any special requirements and will grow happily in sun or partial shade.

Some people have reported problems growing this grass from seed, however, we have had no problems germinating seeds and have a number of plug plants available for sale at www.plantsforpets.co.uk. Wherever you obtain your seeds or plants – this is definitely a worthwhile addition to the garden and a nice talking point.

Plants for Pets – Open for Business!

The new Plants for Pets (www.plantsforpets.co.uk) website has been launched! This website aims to bring together the UK’s twin obsessions of caring for animals and gardening…

Plants for Animals

We have a huge selection of plants, seeds and natural preparations and extracts that all have beneficial uses for our favourite pets.

We want to encourage more people to grow their own helpful plants for three basic reasons. One, there is nothing better than fresh plants, whether it’s for eating or use as a medicinal remedy. Two, when you grow your own plants you know exactly what you’re getting i.e. no artificial pesticides or herbicides. Three, there is a whole world of plants out there that don’t just look pretty but have a whole range of uses, from providing relief from arthritis to repelling mosquitoes! If all that wasn’t enough, there are few things more satisfying that growing your own plants from seed and reaping the results…

Then, for those of you without any patience, we also sell a number of prepared extracts and prepared goods such as dried leaves so you can try things straight away!