If you have the problem of neighbourhood dogs using your garden and lawn as a toilet then lavender will soon encourage it to poo somewhere else!
- Purchase 3 or 4 lavender bushes and plant around your property’s main entrance way or where the dog(s) tends to enter your property; could be under a neighbouring fence line.
- Add one teaspoon of lavender oil (purchase from any pharmacy or health shop) to 1 litre of water in a spray bottle. Give the bottle a good shake before spraying the entire area you want the dog(s) to keep away from such as your lawn and again around where this particular dog generally enters your property.
- When your lavender bushes have grown a bit you can trim them and also make a spray out of these.
- Lavender plants also keep flies away from doorways and open windows so planting around these areas also helps keep the bugs away and makes a good sleeping spot for the cat who doesn’t mind lavender at all will feel very safe in there away from marauding dogs.
- Lavender smells lovely, is very calming and at the same time energising so if the dog still comes in you will be able to chase the dog yourself and feel really good about it!
Preventing Cats and Possums using your flower and vegetable beds as toilets
To dissuade cats and possums digging up your garden to use as a toilet, find some flat stones and rub with any mentholated rub you have handy, (what you would normally use for chesty colds) then place the stones in the garden face down so the rain doesn’t wash it off.
Also use a little of the rub around the paintwork on doors and windows to prevent straying cats or possums coming into the house. However for obvious reasons this final tip only works if you do not have a cat yourself.
Happy animal free spring planting!
From
The Kitchen Garden Gnome
