A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Plants that can withstand cat abuse!

I'm hoping someone can help in suggesting sturdy perenniels for a very large,raised bed that is shaded and also the playground of 15 cats. I've planted snapdragons, mums, hostas, ferns, impatiens, begonias, corabells - all destroyed by the cats.

This is for a customer who loves her cats but wants flowering plants, or small bushes in this bed, which is raised 2' off the ground and about 20' x 10'. HELP!

Are they using the area as a litter box? Or are they frolicking in the plants? I have several cats outside. Sometimes I find some laying in the shade of plants. Smashing them in the process. I put chicken wire down around the plants and any where they were using. When you cut the wire to fit, bend the ends up so the cats won't like the prickly stuff to lay on. It works for the litter box problem, but I didn't have enough. They still found places. It is frustrating. I guess I like cats enough to put up with it. Some are right beside me when I'm weeding or planting. Anything that gets me to their height seems to be invitation for attention.
Diane

Well,that's a good idea, and if it were my own flower beds, that's what I'd try. However, I'm landscaping and gardening for a client and these beds are pretty huge, and have to be weeded, mulched, fertilized, etc. regularly.
What I'm looking for are plants that are sturdy enough to withstand 15 or 16 cats running over them and using them as litter boxes and maybe bushes (dwarf) that flower in these shaded areas. I'm just about to give up. Thanks for your idea though. I might do that in the smaller areas.

You could try including something like Helleborous or other plants that give off an odour that the cats don't like