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Landscape Design Iowa Gardening Trees

Dog friendly trees that tolerate wet feet?

last year

Zone 5B. Seeking recommendations for trees that are not poisonous to dogs that also tolerate wet feet as we get a few inches of standing water in this area for a couple of days after heavy rain.

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

last year

" That being said, not many people go round eating trees. "

Not many dogs do, either!! I've gardened all my life with dogs and with scores of plants with varying degrees of toxicity and the dogs have never touched them. Why would they?? Unless they smell or taste like steak, dogs are not particularly attracted to nor interested in munching on trees or shrubs. It is not a concern I would have when making any plant choices!!

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Comments (10)

BlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA
last year
Are you looking for a big tree? ornamental? Will it be growing in sun or shade?

I can't say I've seen a dog become ill from eating a random leaf (obviously we try not to have the dog munching on leaves and maple spinners, but I get it, it's not entirely avoidable) ... what is your concern with the toxicity to the dog?
Travis Johnson
last year
Red Maple or Black Spruce both like wet feet, though I was not sure if you were looking for hardwood or a softwood, but those are suggestions for each.
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How'd you wind up at black maple as your choice for this location? I'd have guessed that if you wound up looking at this for a possibility, you would have at least considered Nyssa sylvatica. We can argue this way and that way about what kind of conditions you have and whether or not they will allow the tree to get established and do well, and all such negotiations are pointless: One may say a berm of this high under these soil conditions will allow a tree of this type to grow, but how do the soil and related hydrology compare? We can negotiate all we want to...and that's what this is, a negotiations, but at the end of the day, the plant will tell you if it likes it or not. I'd still be curious as to how you got here, to black maple, given how many other fine choices there are that are comparable and would be a much better natural fit.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last year
how many days a year is the area INUNDATED with water ...

if its for a few hours after a deluge.. then i dont see any reason to pick a tree that is tolerant to water ...

and why doesnt it drain away.;.. if its due to heavy clay soil.. then all you need to do is plant it properly.. so it can cope with the situation.. and put its roots where it wants them ... its called planting high .....

and you dont pick a tree based on the dog... buy the tree you want or need..and then protect it from the dog.. until its bark matures enough that doggy teeth arent an issue ...

and in the mean time train the dog to leave you plants alone.... and stay out of the garden ...

include big city name in every post.. it usually helps when discussing plants for your area .. min winter temp.. zone.. is not relevant ... per se.. in and of itself ....

shall we presume iowa based on forum selection?? and to that info.. what zone ... 5????

oak is my favorite tree.. and is rather fast growing.. for the quality you want .. NEVER buy or plant a tree that is marketed as FAST GROWING... fast to size.. fast to disease.. fast to falling apart in the next ice storm .... plant trees that last 100 or more years... like oaks...

ken
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
last year
Metasequoia? I did one internet search and found no mention if dogs with it.
sah67 (zone 5b - NY)
last year
last modified: last year
What does "not poisonous to dogs" mean to you? A lot of things can harm dogs without actually being "poisonous." Does your dog just start gnawing on various leaves and branches when you walk them?
41 North (Zone 7a/b, NE, coastal)
last year
last modified: last year
What trees are poisonous to dogs or anyone else? Metasequoia is a good one, so is Taxodium (Bald Cypress), I think they are hardy into 5B. But a lot of trees other than these two standards will be ok with some seasonal flooding.
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
' What trees are poisonous to dogs or anyone else? ' Plenty. I've never owned a dog but parts of yew, horse chestnut, elder, laurel, wisteria will all make a human pretty sick. That being said, not many people go round eating trees.
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
last year
There's always the chance of a falling branch landing on the pet, if remote.
L Clark (zone 4 WY)
last year
My dog munched up an ohio buckeye seedling I was growing. Really not sure why he did that.

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