Having plants in the home provides a variety of health benefits as well as being a wonderful decor item giving your home a fresh and healthy vibe. If you have any pets or kids roaming around, though, then select plants that are non-toxic. Luckily, there are plenty of beautiful, bright plants to choose from that are pet-friendly. The floral and plant experts here at Toblers Flowers, Kansas City’s premier florist, provide our top ten pet-friendly houseplants for your home.
Safe Plants for Pets
Spider Plant
A fast-growing and easy-to-care-for plant, Spider Plants are pretty popular. They have long, skinny leaves that arch downwards creating a full look with vitality and movement. Spider Plants are pet-friendly and help purify the air.
Parlor Palm
Another great plant with texture, movement, and energy, the Parlor Palm will liven up any room. Attractive large leaves that are composed of smaller leaflets, this plant can grow as tall as 4 feet indoors. Attractive and lush, the Parlor Palm in non-toxic.
Calathea Orbifolia
A highly ornate plant with large green leaves decorated with silvery stripes, the Calathea Orbifolia is a tropical beauty that will thrive indoors in the proper conditions, which includes high humidity and no direct sun light. This striking plant is worth it, though, as it’s very eye-catching. Plus, the Calathea Orbifolia is pet-friendly.
Bird’s Nest Fern
Another interesting plant with tons of energy, texture, and movement is the Bird’s Nest Fern. With long leaves that are crinkled and wavy on the edges, this tropical beauty is perfectly pet-friendly.
Ponytail Palm
For something whimsical and charming, pick up a Ponytail Palm! Actually a succulent plant rather than a true palm, water is stored in the bulbous trunk. Sprouting from the top are long, wavy thin leaves that resemble a ponytail. A great statement plant, the Ponytail Palm is safe for cats and dogs and can survive most growing conditions.
Haworthia / Echeveria
Haworthia succulents come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are one of the more decorative and interesting-looking plants. All types of Haworthia succulents are pet-friendly. Echeveria is pet-friendly as well.
Boston Fern
A popular houseplant because it can grow in low-light conditions, the Boston Fern has many fronds with tiny leaflets producing a lush, tropical vibe. A slow-grower, but easy to care for, the Bost Fern is also pet-friendly.
Polka Dot Plant
If you’re looking for a plant with colors besides green, then choose a Polka Dot Plant. This plant has large green leaves decorated with “spots” of color that look like polka dots. Pink, red, and white are some of the colors that splash across the leaves of this plant. A wonderfully colorful houseplant, the Polka Dot Plant is also pet-friendly.
Watermelon Peperomia
A fascinating ornamental plant to include in your plant collection is the Watermelon Peperomia. The leaves of this plant are decorated in a pattern that resembles the exterior skin of a watermelon. Eye-catching and decorative, the Watermelon Peperomia is non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Orchid
The Orchid plant is a very popular houseplant and there are many Orchid lovers out there that will be glad to know that this is a pet-friendly plant. Adding elegance and a touch of the exotic, Orchids look great in any room.
How to Find Out if Your Plant Is Toxic
If you love plants like we do, you probably have a few that you just had to have but may not be pet-friendly. If you’re not sure about whether a plant you have is toxic or not, visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center website, for a comprehensive list of plants that are toxic for pets and kids.
Protect your Pets from Toxic Plants
If you have any of the above-listed pet-friendly plants, even though they are safe if they get ingested by pets, you will still likely want to keep the plants away from your pet so the plants themselves are protected as well. If you suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, take them to the vet immediately. Signs of poisoning include excessive drooling, vomiting, lethargy, loss of appetite, and racing heart. Use common sense and put toxic plants in a hanging planter, on a high shelf, or in a cordoned-off area.
