Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Shrubs, shade and dogs
Audio PlayerA listener asked me about shrubs for shade, but she had a caveat, dogs… there are some shrubs to avoid when you have a curious dog or two…
Take the Yew, please, it’s toxic to nearly everything. The seed inside the berries is toxic to pets and people.
![](https://gardenbite.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Yew.jpg)
The yew we yanked…
![](https://gardenbite.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/yew-monster.png)
Hydrangeas are pretty but poisonous to pups. In fact, the leaves and buds are also toxic to cats and horses. These parts of the plant contains a chemical more commonly known as cyanide. If a pup chews on the plant, the chewing action releases the toxins. Symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea and depression.
![](https://gardenbite.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Hydrangeas-at-house.png)
Euonymus is poisonous if large quantities are ingested. There are many types of euonymus.
![](https://gardenbite.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Euonymous-White-Album.png)
The seed and subsequently the fruit of an alpine currant, a decent shrub for shade, is toxic to pets, however, there needs to be a male and female plant to get the fruit.
A cultivar named ‘Green Mound’ is male and does not produce fruit, so it could be planted.
![](https://gardenbite.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Alpine-Currant-Green-Mound-by-Chalet-Nursery.png)
Leaves, flowers and nectar of rhododendrons and azaleas are toxic to dogs and honey from rhodo flowers can be toxic, even in humans. Here’s a link to more information on rhododendron poisoning in dogs from wagwalking.com
![](https://gardenbite.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Rhodos-and-Azaleas-photo-taken-at-MN-Landscape-Arboretum.png)
So what the heck can she plant? Aside from the non-fruit bearing currant, there’s a lovely shrub called Clethra. It’s commonly called Summersweet and uncommonly delivers heavenly scented flowers in shady locations from July to August! ‘Sugartina Crystalina’ is by Proven Winners. ‘Ruby Spice’
![](https://gardenbite.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Clethra-Ruby-Spice-by-White-Flower-Farms.png)
![](https://gardenbite.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Clethra-Sugartina-by-Proven-Winners.png)