Been out looking at the "dog part" of the garden, due to the weather and 4 dogs many of my plants have curled up and died.

Does anyone have any suggestions for hardy dog proof and safe shrubs, a couple I want to grow tall and bushy to stop them saying hi to next doors westie. The boys are the worst, they are always watering them and not many plants seem to like "golden rain!" :(

Any suggestions gratefully received.

fence of the area until the establish. But huge plants which you can get from nurserys.
Buy 'british' plants Ie Choycia, pyracantha, Cotoneaster(Alot of plants have died this winter. Alot of Hebe's and CCeanothus have died along with all the Yukkas I know off!!!!)
HTH a bit :) :)
Lea :) :)

Buddleias - and are very good for attracting butterflies and bees (especially the mauve ones) :)

Thanks, we have Budleias in the "human garden" and I love to see them with all the butterflies round them. I will buy established plants as at least they will have a chance. Last year I made a cage out of bubble wrap and as soon as I took it off the boys were there watering :(

If you want to avoid the dogs peeing on plants you could raise the bed next to the fence, as you say most plants hate 'golden rain' and this might help to put it out of reach!

A couple of things I'd avoid are Hebe's - they just go brown and die if pee'd on too often, and Pieris - I have one that has proved to be very brittle and every time the dogs walk too close it breaks off.

Another option is to use a 'pee post' to move the dogs to something new.  I don't have a dedicated spot but I have noticed that one of my boys likes to pee up a willow plant support.  I'm sure with a bit of effort I could make this a regular habit, thus saving some of my more expensive or exotic plants...

I also have a lovely bay tree that thrives on dog wee water!! plus pyrocantha, Mahonia which smelles great and those motorway ones.....   yellow flowers..... ahhhhhhh....... I'll get brain in touch shortly , normal service will be resumed.

Thanks all for the suggestions, I cannot have raised beds as my naughty lot would think I was "giving them a leg up" to get at next doors Westie, there is mutual dislike on both sides ( dogs not people :)  )

When we get back from holiday I will seek out a few established plants and start building the barricades. I had a cystis ( I do hope that is spelt right!!!) which did really well but the weight of the snow broke it.

My bay tree has died because of the weather :-(

Most other plants seem to have survived this year. I lost two large spiky plants last year but have noticed that one of them that we dug out last spring seems to have spawned some two very small plants so hoping that they establish. Bamboos are also good plants that usually establish well.

>I also have a lovely bay tree that thrives on dog wee water!!

My Harry used to have a favourite branch of the bay tree to pee on; after a while all the leaves fell off the branch and he only had a bare twig with bare ground underneath! Even after he'd died it never recovered.

The last two hard winters have finished it off; it had barely recovered from the winter before last when it was hit by last winter. All the leaves are brown; you'd have thought at 20 years old it would be hardy enough by now.

Opps misreading again sawheaties thought you said you had cystitis ! I would take a little visit up to Woodcote nurseries if I were you they give good advice too

My bay tree has survived both dogs being replanted because we knocked the house down and its thriving, most of the garden is dead, they dont survive digger and dumpers very well. But the bay tree lovely - but it was Mum's and when she died I asked for it so Mum is watching out for it I think!

Broom (Cystisus) is very hardy and, I think, unkillable!! It grows wild around the cottage and within the garden and reseeds itself all over the place!

Have a look at this--Barhi open their garden under the NGS each year and have lots of suggestions for a garden to suit people and dogs

http://gardeninganddogs.wordpress.com/

Thanks for all the suggestions, I wish I could have remembered the name Broom, then it wouldn't have looked like I was suffering with something nasty:( Will check out the website and visit the nursery on return from hols when hopefully it will be a bit more like gardening weather!!!