Image credit: Unsplash Source: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1607163365613-c281acde5012

Four Pet-Friendly Plants You Should Consider in Your Home

Article written by Ressy Jane

As a pet parent, you may be familiar with the experience of seeing your pet nibble on random things, like shoes or even wires. While it can be funny to see your pet enjoy themselves, all pet parents agree that they feel frightened once they see their pets chewing plants.

Dr. Zara Hedge of the San Diego Humane Society explains that many pets see plants and leaves as fun toys to play with, especially when they’re bored. Unfortunately, this type of playtime can become dangerous because many plants contain toxic substances that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, drooling and even weakness in pets.

So if you want to be both a pet and a plant parent, here are the four pet-friendly plants that you should consider buying:

Orchids

Many houseplant enthusiasts love orchids because they’re safe for pets and they’re easy to take care of. Another advantage is that different types of orchids are native to various parts of the world, like North America and even Australia. This makes it easier to care for orchids as a houseplant because they can be placed in a location with humidity levels from around 40% to 70%. Orchids also tend to cling to rough bark and even stones in their natural habitat, so they need to be potted in a light-medium filled with bark, sphagnum moss, perlite, and peat.

Hoyas

If you often forget to water your plants, hoyas may be the right flowering plant for your home. Hoyas originate from provinces in tropical Asia, including Bohol which has lush tropical rainforests that are surrounded by white sand beaches. This province has a lot of tree cover by the Loboc River and in the Chocolate Hills, which is why its native flora and fauna need bright light with a bit of shade. Hoyas also climb up on trees in their native habitat, so you can put these vining plants on hanging baskets to ensure that your pets won’t play with their beautiful blooms.

Palms

Plenty of palms are safe for pets, making them a good addition to your home. Our list of Pet Safe Plants lists down the areca palm, bamboo palm, bottle palm, and golden butterfly palm as plants that are safe for both cats and dogs. Palm trees typically grow in Asia, the Americas, and Indonesia. In fact, the areca palm happens to be abundant in the Jambi province of Indonesia, which happens to be near the equator. As such, the areca palm and most types of palm trees prefer to grow in places with full sun.

Calatheas

If you want a bit of a challenge, taking care of a calathea is well worth the effort because of its colorful foliage. Calatheas are native to South America which has an extreme geographic variation that contributes to its large number of biomes. This plant naturally grows on the floor of the Amazon’s dense tropical rainforest, so they thrive in places with lots of shade. It’s also recommended that you water calatheas and mist them regularly because they need moist soil and lots of humidity. Though this sounds like a lot of work, you can rest assured that this beautiful plant will be safe for your beloved pet.


You still have plenty of choices if you want pet-friendly plants for your home. Just do your job in copying the plant's natural environment to ensure that they thrive at home.

Article written by Ressy Jane

Exclusively for