Whilst many people sow and grow wildflower meadows in their garden to attract wildlife and enhance biodiversity, the question still remains whether wildflowers are safe for your pets or children.

Wildflowers and animals

If you own a cat, growing a wildflower meadow in your garden can actually be more helpful to them than harmful. The long flowers and dense growth allows them to get in touch with their wild roots, giving them the chance to practice hunting, hiding and generally playing around which they may not do often since being domesticated. The wildflower meadows will also give their prey the chance to hide, which in turn will help your cat hone their hunting skills which their ancestors will have done frequently in the wild. Similarly to cats, dogs will also benefit from a wildflower meadow rather than be harmed by it, but they benefit in a different manner. A dogs most prevalent sense is its smell, so when they are suddenly faced with a meadow full of sweetly scented flowers they are bound to be enthused. This excitement will lead them to wanting to play in the wildflower meadow and enjoy themselves more than they would in an urban landscape or even a slightly more plain garden. A key similarity between the effects a wildflower meadow has on both cats and dogs is the positive psychological effects they bring, both animals will generally be happier when presented with a wildflower meadow to explore and play in, so not only are wildflower meadows safe for your pets, they are actually beneficial.

Wildflowers and children

As long as no toxic wildflowers are used, planting a wildflower meadow can actually be constructive and helpful for your children, with the positives massively outweighing the potential negatives. A wildflower meadow can help your child grow up with a positive mentality in terms of the environment and horticulture, especially if they get involved with planting and maintaining the flowers. Spending time amongst flowers and general nature has been known to have positive effects on mental health, so in the long term a wildflower meadow in your garden could help your child manage their emotions better and remain in a positive frame of mind whenever faced with issues. In general a wildflower meadow may help your child appreciate nature more, giving them a sustainable hobby in the future that they can enjoy whilst helping enhance biodiversity and sustain the environment. There are not many wildflowers that are known to be toxic to children or humans in general, but a few species such as Bluebells, Foxglove, Poison Ivy and Daffodils could potentially cause mild sickness or skin conditions, but only if large amounts of the plant are eaten in a short space of time. As long as your children are made aware of the dangers of eating large quantities of wildflowers, there is no reason that they can’t enjoy a wildflower meadow in your garden.

If you have any more questions regarding wildflowers and the potential effects they could have on your pets or children, contact our team on email us at sales@gardenersupplies.co.uk and we will be happy to help.