By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

Photos © Andy & Michelle Tullis

One of the chicken coops on last weekend's Bend, OR, tour had the look of a model-home type coop: chickens couldn't be living in anything this clean, could they? As a matter of fact, answers owner Michelle Tullis, yes, chickens live here. She is champion of the notion that clean coops are better for the chickens, better for the people who tend them, and definitely better for neighbor children who play with the hens. But how does she get "clean" and "chickens" in the same coop?

The manure hammock

 

When chickens roost at night, sleep isn't all they do. So Michelle stretched a hammock under the roosts so that when unmentionables fall, they are caught before they hit the floor. Since birds excrete everything together (no separate plumbing for feces and urine), normal droppings would tend to saturate the hammock. But Michelle feeds her birds Forage Cakes and Ultra Kibble that are excreted in drier, less-smelly, walnut-size droppings. When the hammock is ready to empty, as Michelle demonstrates at right, the manure separates easily from the fabric.

Michelle learned about this optimized food from a thread on a backyard chickens forum (she has no connection with the company, nor do I).

Clean floors

 

Living in Bend, Michelle has plenty of fallen pine needles around. She spreads them over the coop floor to give the chickens (and herself) something light, dry, and airy to walk on — something that can be raked up and thrown out whenever it becomes a little too organic.  

Step-up feed and water stations

 

Elevated feeding and watering stations keep birds from fouling the water supply with feathers, feather dander, and droppings. It's simple, effective, and more important than it might seem.

Michelle is such an enthusiastic advocate of pristine chicken houses that she's offered to field questions from Fresh Dirt readers. You can post comments here, reach her at http://bendhens.tumblr.com/, or email her directly at bendhens@gmail.com.

 

 
By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

These pillows and adorable dog bed covered in plush artificial turf are from Alicia Blas of Firmly Planted.  You can find more of her witty garden adornments along the same lines -- evergreen house numerals, peace signs, clocks, picture frames and more on her website.

I'm thinking Lucy, my Cavalier, would look cute lounging in this bed and it would look sweet on my patio.  Then maybe my little couch potato would deign to join me outdoors when I garden.

P.S.  Just found out the pooch shown here, Alicia's own soft-coated Wheaten terrier, is also named Lucy.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

photographs by Francesca Corra

Studio City landscape contractor Francesca Corra (Dirt Diva Designs) took first place in the Small Residential Landscape category in the California Landscape Contractor Association's garden awards last year for the below project.

Here's a before:

 

A sea of concrete.  Pretty dreary.

Now, here's a few afters:

A major improvement, right?  Softer, more interesting, more livable.  But those doggie faces peeking out the windows in the above shot caught my fancy.  I had to hear their story.  And I definitely needed a closer look.

 

Turns out the homeowners, Gary Breslau and Stacy Rubin, had four old windows they wanted to incorporate into the landscape design somehow.  It also happened that each of those windows had a broken pane.  Gary and Stacy also happened to have three dogs who ruled the place as they openly admitted.

 

Katie, the cocker spaniel, Oliver, the Dorkie, and Wienus Victor, the dachshund, always underfoot anyway, might as well be in the garden full time, Corra decided.  She photographed them often, had the owners' favorite shots enlarged and printed on aluminum sheets and substituted the sheets for the missing panes.  The homeowners--surprise--loved the results.   And, since there's still a pane missing, now they have an excuse to own another dog.

Fast Signs, who did the work, told me these outdoor prints hold up for about five years; seven, if laminated.

You want an even closer look, don't you?  Somehow I knew it.

 

 

By Julie Chai, Sunset associate garden editor

How cute is this?? Even if you're not a devoted birder, it's hard not to love these eco-friendly bird houses—made of untreated red cedar or recycled wood, coated with no-VOC paint, and topped with living roofs—that come in several styles and can also be custom designed by Sustainable Pet Design. (The one shown is for bluebirds.) They're perfect for bird lovers, but they'll also appeal to anyone who loves well-designed garden art.

 

 

 

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

By favorite project in Maria Finn's book, A Little Piece of Earth: How to Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces--besides the grapevine privacy wall we wrote about here earlier--is her dog-proof loft.

Illustration by Eiko Yokoyama

 The project was designed for clients whose only space to garden was this concrete paved space, which they shared with an energetic chocolate lab.  (Is there any other kind?)

Finn's solution was purchasing a prefab sleeping loft (cheaper than building something custom) which she painted a deep purple.  Planter boxes on top of the loft, painted the same vivid color, and wire baskets on the side stairs allow the homeowners to have the enjoyment of a few dog-proof crops. And their dog looks only mildly put out.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

We can learn a lot from dogs.  Todd & Diane's dog, Sierra, for instance, seems to know exactly how to get the most out of a sunny day in the garden.  Check out this video from their blog, White on Rice, and see if you don't agree.

 
By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

photos by Perry & Sandy Becker

Like many Southwestern homeowners, Perry and Sandy Becker fell in love with the desert tortoise at first sight.  "Who wouldn't love these cute, noble creatures?," says Perry.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

When my co-blogger Jim McCausland did a post about cats and toxic plants last month, he included a photo of his new cat Miss Marple.  And I added a rather snarky comment about her expression, which to me looked rather malevolent.  "I wouldn't turn my back on her," I think I said. 

His Tonkinese was still adapting, countered Jim.  Not yet secure in her surroundings.  She's getting mellower, he insists, and sent me this more recent photo to prove it.

By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

Photo by Darrel Cohoon

Last month I listed indoor plants that are toxic to cats. Today I'll list plants toxic to dogs. (That's Lucy, Sharon's gorgeous Cavalier King Charles spaniel, at right. She's Fresh Dirt's official canine mascot.)

Canines be even more problematic than cats because by default, many of them—not including Lucy, of course—seem inclined to eat everything and let their stomachs decide whether to process it or reject it. I once had a dog who included wood screws and gravel in his diet. In spite of our vet's best efforts, insurmountable digestive issues gave us no choice but to put him down; natural selection at work, I suppose.

Following is a lists of indoor plants known to be toxic to dogs.  I’ll repeat here the caveats and helps I gave for our list of cat poisons.

Remember the first principle of toxicology, which is that “the dose makes the poison.” In other words, the dog has to eat enough to be affected—and even so, many poisonous plants don’t kill, they just sicken.

How much is too much? The ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center (888 426-4435; $65) or the Pet Poison Helpline (800 213-6680; $35) can help you figure that out.

Finally, for Animal Poison Control (or your vet) to help, they have to know what exactly your dog ate. “A tall green plant with spiky leaves” isn’t a good answer. If you have pets or kids, know your houseplants by both common and botanical names, which usually come on a tag with the plant. Keep that info where you can find it.

This lists isn't comprehensive—no list is—but it covers the most common plants your dog might encounter indoors.

Flowering and fruiting house plants
Amaryllis (Hippeastrum species and hybrids)
Anthurium scherzerianum
Azalea (Rhododendron species)
Chrysanthemum
Clivia (Clivia miniata)
Crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii)
Cyclamen
Gardenia (Gardenia augusta, G. jasminoides)
Geranium (Pelargonium species)
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus species and hybrids)
Jerusalem Cherry (Solanum pseudocapsicum)
Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima)
Primrose (Primula vulgaris)

Leafy house plants
Arrowhead plant (Nephthytis, Syngonium podophyllum)
Asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus)
Begonia
Caladium (Caladium bicolor)
Cardboard palm (Zamia furfuracea)
Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum and hybrids)
Coontie (Zamia pumila)
Corn plant (Dracaena fragrans)
Cuban oregano (Plectranthus amboinicus)
Cycads (Cycas and Zamia species)
Dracaena species
Dumb cane (Dieffenbachia amoena)
Elephant’s ear (Alocasia macrorrhiza)
Fiddleleaf fig (Ficus lyrata)
Gold dust Dracaena (Dracaena surculosa)
Golden pothos (Scindapsus aureus)
Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron cordatum)
Indian laurel (Ficus microcarpa, F. retusa)
Ivy (Hedera species)
Madagascar Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata)
Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla)
Philodendron (most)
Polyscias guilfoylei
Pothos (Epipremnum pinnatum)
Rubber plant (Ficus elastica)
Sago palm (Cycas revoluta)
Satin pothos (Scindapsus pictus)
Schefflera species (Schefflera actinophylla, formerly Brassaia actinophylla)
Shamrock (Oxalis)
Spathiphyllum
Split-leaf philodendron (Monstera deliciosa)
Taro (Colocasia esculenta)
Ti plant (Cordyline fruticosa, formerly C. terminalis)
Tree philodendron (Philodendron selloum)
Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)

Succulents
Aloe vera
Jade plant (Crassula ovata)
Kalanchoe species
Silver jade plant (Crassula arborescens)
Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)

Plants used in centerpieces, vases, wreaths
Baby's breath (Gypsophila paniculata)
Calla (Zantedeschia aethiopica)
Daffodil (Narcissus species)
Dahlia
Gladiola (some Gladiolus varieties)
Holly (Ilex species)
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus species and hybrids)
Iris species
Mistletoe (many genera)
Naked lady (Amaryllis belladonna)
Peony (Paeonia species)
Rhododendron
Tulip (Tulipa species)

Fruits, nuts, vegetables
Apples and crabapples
Apricots
Avocado fruit and pit
Cherry
Elephant garlic
Garlic
Grapes
Lemon
Lime
Macadamias
Onions
Orange
Peach
Raisins

Sunset slide show: 100 of the West's best pets

By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

 After our last cat passed on (she outsmarted local coyotes for 17 years, then died from something else), we replaced her with a Tonkinese named Miss Marple, pictured here. Like Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, our new cat is “a noticing sort” of creature, getting her nose into everything, including our indoor plants. 

That habit led me to find out which house plants are toxic for felines. Fortunately, there is good online help. The ASPCA site lists toxic and safe plants for pets, while the  Cat Fanciers’ Association has a poison-plant list online (but it has lots of ambiguous common names, and no botanical names). 

Following are indoor plants from multiple lists, but organized in the way I like them, with botanical names attached. I didn’t include outdoor plants here.

As you read, remember the first principle of toxicology, which is “the dose makes the poison.” In other words, the cat has to eat enough to be affected—and even so, many poisonous plants don’t kill, they just make sick. 

How much is too much? The ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center (888 426-4435; $65) or the Pet Poison Helpline (800 213-6680; $35) can help you figure that out. 

Finally, for Animal Poison Control (or your vet) to help, they have to know what exactly your cat ate. “A tall green plant with spiky leaves” isn’t a good answer. If you have pets or kids, know your houseplants by both common and botanical names, which usually come on a tag with the plant, and keep that info where you can find it. 

Here are the toxic (to cats) plant lists.

Flowering and fruiting house plants

Amaryllis (Hippeastrum species and hybrids)

Azalea (Rhododendron species)

Chrysanthemum 

Crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii, E. splendens)

Cyclamen

Geranium (Pelargonium species)

Hyacinth (Hyacinthus species and hybrids)

Jerusalem Cherry (Solanum pseudocapsicum)

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) 

Primrose (Primula vulgaris)

Leafy house plants

Arrowhead plant (Nephthytis, Syngonium podophyllum)

Asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus)

Caladium (Caladium bicolor)

Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum)

Corn plant (Dracaena fragrans)

Croton (Codiaeum variegatum ‘Pictum’)

Cycads (Cycas species)

Dracaena deremensis ‘Janet Craig’

Dracaena species

Dumb cane (Dieffenbachia amoena)

Elephant’s ear (Alocasia macrorrhiza)

Fiddleleaf fig (Ficus lyrata)

Gold dust Dracaena (Dracaena surculosa)

Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron cordatum) 

Indian laurel (Ficus microcarpa, F. retusa)

Ivy (Hedera species)

Madagascar Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata)

Philodendron (most)

Pothos (Epipremnum pinnatum) 

Rubber plant (Ficus elastica)

Sago palm (Cycas revoluta)

Satin pothos (Scindapsus pictus)

Schefflera species

Peace lily (Spathiphyllum)

Split-leaf philodendron (Monstera deliciosa) 

Tree philodendron (Philodendron selloum)

Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)

Succulents

Aloe vera 

Candelabra cactus (Euphorbia lactea)

Kalanchoe species

Pencilbush (Euphorbia tirucalii) 

Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)

Plants used in centerpieces, vases, wreaths

Baby's breath (Gypsophila paniculata)

Calla (Zantedeschia aethiopica)

Daffodil (Narcissus species)

Holly (Ilex species)

Hyacinth (Hyacinthus species and hybrids)

Lilies (Lilium species)

Mistletoe (many genera)

Naked lady (Amaryllis belladonna)

Peony (Paeonia species)

Tulip (Tulipa species)

Fruits, nuts, vegetables

Almonds (Prunus dulcis)

Avocado fuit and pit (Persea species)

Onions (Allium cepa)

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum)