Flowers That Won't Harm Your Dog

Perennial Flowers

• Coral bells (Heuchera spp.) are a drought-tolerant perennial growing 1 to 2 feet tall in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9. These stunning plants feature attractive heart-shaped foliage and airy bell-shaped blooms that appear on tall flower stalks. Coral bells grow best in full sun to partial shade and can tolerate drought. Purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) are another option for dog-friendly gardeners. These 2- to 5-foot tall flowers grow in USDA zones 3 through 8, producing large, daisy-like blooms in shades of purple and pink. Purple coneflowers require little maintenance and tolerate dry, clay, rocky and shallow soil, as well as deer and drought.

Annual Flowers

• Even though annuals are short-lived flowers, they can still pose a risk to dogs if the right species isn’t planted. Two annuals safe for four-legged friends include impatiens (Impatiens spp.) and petunias (Petunia spp.). Impatiens grow fleshy leaves, five-petaled flowers and succulent but brittle stems. They reach heights between 1 and 3 feet tall and can tolerate dense shade. Petunias produce five-lobed flowers in various colors that can bloom from late spring to fall. They tolerate costal exposure and poor soil conditions. Impatiens grow best when planted in partial shade, while petunias thrive in full sun. Both work well growing in the ground or as container plants.

Evergreen Perennial Flowers

• The evergreen perennial cape primrose (Streptocarpus spp.) grows in USDA zones 10 and 11. In zones where it's not hardy, cape primrose can be grown as an annual. This evergreen blooms freely with delicate pink, blue, yellow or purple flowers and tolerates dense shade but not frost. Chickens and hens (Echeveria elegans) -- also known as Mexican snowball -- is a succulent evergreen that grows in USDA zones 9 through 11. It works well as a groundcover or in a rock garden, and grows to heights of about 8 inches tall. This stunning plant has bluish gray rosettes and bright pink flowers that attract butterflies.

Flowering Evergreen Shrubs

• For pet-friendly flowering evergreen shrubs, consider the weeping bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis) or the camellia (Camellia japonica). The weeping bottlebrush grows in full sun in USDA zones 9 through 11. It can reach heights of up to 20 feet tall and has a weeping form with brightly-colored blooms that appear similar to a bottle brush. Camellias grow between 7- to 10-feet tall in USDA zones 7 through 9. They produce large fragrant blooms in shades of white, red and pink. Camellias grow best when planted in neutral to acidic soil in partial shade.