I Recently Planted Beautiful Boxwood Beds. I Love To Look…
Dar Asked
i recently planted beautiful boxwood beds. I love to look at them almost as much as my male hound loves urinating on them! I need a defense here.
The Gardener’s Answer
Hello, Dar: As pet owners and gardeners we have to learn to share the garden with them. It can be frustrating when we put all this time, energy, and money into our landscape and our four-legged friends proceed to use it as a restroom or, even worse, they immediately dig it up. Just be thankful your hound is just urinating on them and not taking them up from the soil! Unless your dog is solely using this area to relieve himself then your boxwoods should be fine. Urine in high concentrations can be very alkaline, it can over time alter the pH of the soil and damage plant material. This is typically the case when it becomes a consistent habit or the neighborhood dogs are marking their spot. Fortunately for you it is only your dog so it will be easier to train him to go in other areas as well. There are also many nontoxic products available that are made specifically for repelling dogs. Liquid Fence makes one that is ready to spray, made of natural plant oils such as citronella and cinnamon oils. It is environmentally safe and not harmful to the dogs. The scent is a natural deterrent. These kinds of products will have to be re-applied every few months or more after a heavy rainfall. Watering the soil around your boxwoods will help dilute the urine if you can get to them shortly afterward. Otherwise, adding layers of pine cones around your evergreens or anything else that is not nice to walk on may also help deter your hound.
