Growing up with parents who liked to garden both for joy and for food has meant that I’ve acquired a lot of knowledge throughout my life. I’ve also learned a lot through trial and error on my own, as well as listening to podcasts, watching gardening programs and reading – lots of reading! I don’t have any “formal” education, and this is a big reason for my belief that anyone can learn to grow plants that they’re proud of, if they want to! A big part of my learning has been making mistakes and then starting over and doing my best to not repeat those mistakes.

I once heard a gardener say that you should grow the plants that you enjoy growing—or at the very least, the ones that produce the foods or flowers that you love. Growing anything else will seem like a chore. This stuck with me and Froggy’s plant list was born out of that ethos. The plants we grow will adjust and we are always open to suggestions!

Companion planting is the practice of understanding and utilizing the beneficial relationships that exist between certain plants. Some plants improve the flavors of their neighbour plants (one example is chives and strawberries: your strawberries will be more flavorful if grown near chives). Other plants are excellent protectors, helping to deter pests or critters that would harm other, more delicate, plants—marigolds are an excellent example.

Almost all of the plants grown at Froggy’s Greenhouse are considered companions of each other. This means that no matter which plants you choose, they can be grown in close proximity to each other and will most likely have beneficial benefits as a result.

All of our seedlings are grown from responsibly-sourced seeds, either gathered and saved by us, or purchased from a reputable seed seller such as West Coast Seeds, Ball Horticultural, Blazing Star Wildflower Seed Company, and ALCLA Native Plants.

Nope! Being a beneficial part of the landscape is an important part of Froggy’s, and we actively work to ensure that our plants and practices will cause as little harm as possible to other plants, animals, insects, lands, airways and waterways as possible. This means no pesticides or herbicides. Instead, we work hard to incorporate practices and techniques that will help to create an environment that is unappealing to bugs or critters considered pests. This includes adequate ventilation, keeping humidity levels in check, creating appealing environments for beneficial insects like bees, ladybugs and lacewings, growing plants that naturally repel pest insects, or growing plants that are intended to draw those pest insects to a different spot. We also do not purchase seeds that have been treated with chemicals.

Yes! All of our seeds and plants are non-GMO, and we take a great deal of time to research and source our seeds to ensure that we do not knowingly grow or sell any genetically modified organisms.

Unfortunately no, as there are many garden plants that are lovely for humans but not-so-great for our furry friends. Plants with mild to severe toxicity to dogs and/or cats include: carnations, chamomile, chives, chrysanthemums, eucalyptus, garlic, hydrangea, lavender, marigolds, morning glory, onions, oregano, parsley, pinks, sweet peas, sweet william, tomatoes, yarrow.

The toxicity of these plants varies widely and many of the plants taste awful to our furry friends, meaning the likelihood of eating them may be low (such as sweet peas, tomato greens, garlic, etc.). However, all pets are different and you know yours best, so make the plant decisions that are best for your situation.

Here are some of the plants we grow that are pet-friendly!

– Basil

– Calendula

– Celosia

– China Aster

– Cilantro

– Common Snapdragons

– Cucumber

– Hollyhocks

– Lemon Balm

– Nasturtium

– Petunia

– Rose

– Rosemary

– Sage

– Scabious/Scabiosa

– Strawberry

– Sunflowers

– Thyme

– Zinnia

– Zucchini

While we do our best to make toxicity information as clear as possible, we strongly encourage all pet owners to do their own research when purchasing plants or flowers that may be in close contact with their pets. The ASPCA has compiled an extensive and incredibly helpful list of toxic and non-toxic plants. As pet owners ourselves, we return to this list frequently and hope that it’ll be helpful for other pet owners as well!

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

Note: Some plants may be non-toxic to dogs, but toxic to cats or other pets, or vice-versa!