Are there any cat-safe spring plants?
Q I’m starting to buy my spring bulbs and seeds, but we’ve recently got a kitten and I want to keep the garden safe for him. I’d like to plant pretty bright, warm colours of varying heights. What do you suggest? Helen Armitage, Baildon, Bradford
A When planting spring-flowering bulbs that may harm your kitten if they chew them, I suggest that you avoid the following that could cause stomach upsets or even death: bluebells, daffodils, hyacinths, tulips, fritillaries, snowdrops, snowflakes (leucojum) and squill (scilla). I urge you not to grow lilies, which bloom in summer, for if cats ingest the pollen, it can be fatal.
As for spring-flowering bedding plants, forget-me-nots, wallflowers and pansies are non-toxic and should not pose a threat, but I would avoid polyanthus and primroses.
If you enjoy a combination of yellow and pink flowers, I suggest that you associate the following for a spring display. They are all bulbs and, pleasingly, harmless to cats:
‘Jeannine’: Clusters
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