So I wanna start planting more perennials as I age. I study differant ones but I always wind up tossing the idea after I read some stupid quark about them. Like it looks perfect for this spot but is toxic to dogs. Or it takes 5 years to friggin grow. Or it needs more sun, or less sun, or the soil is wrong, or it can't work on Sundays or religious holidays. Worse is its perfect but can't be planted next to this or that. Or its roots travel underground and destroy the landscape. Or it wants to be paid time and a half after 8 hours. Geez !!! How you people know all this S**T. So I ask you guys....What the hell do I grow?? 1 Perennial 2 Some color, even if just leaves 3 Fairly rapid growth 4 Some morning sun and a lot of dappled afternoon sun 5 Not an excessive lot of deadheading and maintenance 6 NOT TOXIC TO DOGS, (or me) 7 Doesn't make me cuddle and watch chick flicks I expect an answer from everyone....or else
Dogs, unless they're puppies full of worms, starving to death and will eat bricks just to fill their stomachs, don't go munching on your greenery. So long as it's not full of berries and your dog is adept at picking his own blackberries right off the plant, I don't worry about "toxic to dogs". Look up your climate zone and ask the net the easiest perennials to grow in your zone for the spot you want them to grow: sun, shade or part sun/shade and buy those for your yard. I recommend day lillies and gerber daisies. For daylillies just throw them some fertilizer spring and mid summer and they bloom until they get really crowded. Then you dig up the clump, divide the plant and you have one or two more plants to plant in another spot, for free !!
Devil's Ivy is the most sturdy indoor plant that I've ever come across, (simply refuses to die). It is mildly toxic to pets. But I've never seen any animal munching on it, I made a post about it here some time back. See this link. https://www.gardenstew.com/threads/started-propagating-my-devils-ivy.41955/ Lucky Bamboo (water bamboo) is also a lovely indoor plant eguch is very tough plant. One really needs to try really hard to kill it. I'm suggesting indoor plants, as they can be placed high on furniture, (or on top of refrigerators) -To keep out of the reach of any Dog. But again, I've never seen any Dog or cat munching on indoor plants. Another reason why I'm suggesting indoor plants, is because usually evergreen perennials require a steady climate. Which is why majority of them are tropical. Therefore these will grow just fine outside in my environment (in shade) all year around. But in your area where it shows, the winter would kill them. Another suggestion (also indoor) is the Snake Plan. Which comes in several different types. Benefits of this is that it also cleans the air inside. Now if you want something that's big for the outside, which too is evergreen that'll grow in your climate - Look towards the trees growing in Cascadia region. Or those growing around Niagara Falls.
