What can I do with the yard and still have a safe place for my dogs?

Thank you for your reply! I was wondering what kind of landscaping would be pet friendly and "dress" up the area. I'm 70 yrs. old so heavy lifting is out.

Thank you for your reply. We do have a fence but it is green and blends well as it cannot be seen from the road. The dogs are in and oout of the house at will as I am 70 yrs old and am home all the time. I was thinking more of landscaping ideas that are pet friendly and doesn't involve a lot of lifting.

Thank you for your reply. I should have mentioned that the dogs come and go to the house at will. I am 70 yrs old and am home all the time. They do have beds on the porch if they want to stay out. I was thinking more of pet friendly landscaping that doesn't reuire a lot of lifting.

Thank you very much for your ideas. I guess I look at it and get overwhelmed. starting small is probably the key.

Great info, thank you Cbaver! One thing I either missed in your original post or forgot to ask is “what part of the country are you in?” Do you happen to know your hardiness “Zone”?

For example, I am ten miles from the coast in Northeastern Massachusetts. That puts me in Zone 6b.

It will be important for you to know your zone so that when you’re looking at plant tags, plant and seed catalogues and/or online...if you’re planting a perinneal (Ie: something that typically come back every season), you’ll know it will survive your winters.

You can find you Zone here: https://garden.org/nga/zipzone/

However, without knowing your hardiness zone yet, I do agree that perhaps a flowering vine would be a great start! Believe it or not, there are many to choose from and most attract beneficial birds and insects like butterflies, hummingbirds, honey bees, etc.

Personally, I love watching the various birds and butterflies that visit our yard. My dogs (who are 50 lb rescue “mutts”) don’t bother the birds or the butterflies. Squirrels are another story, LOL! 😊

As for a container garden (which a vine could also go into provided that it has a trellis or some other structure to climb), I haven’t done this yet, but I love the look of the galvanized steel horse troughs that you can purchase brand new at stores like Tractor Supply Co (if there is one near you) or other sort of feed/agriculutural stores. You can purchase them in a variety of sizes and “add on” later if you like. Now, this “look” might not fit your taste, but that’s ok...it’s still getting you thinking about possible containers for your container garden. Here is a few links regarding the look I’m talking about:

http://twomenandalittlefarm.blogspot.com/2011/11/galvanized-water-tank-trough-vegetable.html?m=1

https://www.drivenbydecor.com/galvanized-metal-tubs-buckets-pails-as/

Again, I’m not saying you HAVE to go this route, but it seems (to me at least) to fit the needs you have for container gardening (Ie: no stooping or kneeling required, very little to do to get them set up...in other words, nothing you have to build) and it has the capacity for you to add on to the idea as you get more comfortable with the process of container gardening.

Start with one. It doesn’t even have to be that big. You know your dogs are not likely to be able to get into it and mess it up and you can place it where ever you like within your yard.

You can fill fill it with whatever plants you like (provided that they are compatible with the full sun location, etc).

Do you have a hose hook up in your back yard? Maybe place it closer to the hose so you’re not dragging a hose around the yard, which can be a tripping hazard, etc.

i’ll also say that with a backyard that beautiful, if it were me, I would put out a simple bird bath, maybe hang a hummingbird feeder off the porch area, I also put out oranges sliced in half and stick them on a post (through the center of the orange half) to attract the beautiful orange oriels that also visit in the summer.

I know I just “threw” a lot at you all at once, so if you need help breaking it down into manageable pieces so you don’t feel overwhelmed, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me!

PS: regarding flowering vines, I have a large honeysuckle vine that the previous homeowner planted that the hummingbirds go crazy for! I don’t know the first thing about honeysuckle vines and their care, but we’ve been here for nine years and I’ve just left it to its own devices and it’s done beautifully! Clematis is also another vine I just started experimenting with a few years ago so it’s still only about a foot and a half tall, but it flowers and it’s exciting to watch its progress each year.

Looking forward to hearing back back from you with what you decide, any additional questions, etc.

I‘ll leave you with a picture of one of my recent birdbath purchases! It’s already received a lot of use in the week I’ve had it!