Create the perfect garden for your cat - By: Allan Michael Taylor

As the days get longer and warmer, our cats spend more and more time outside playing. They enjoy playing 'tigers' in the undergrowth, hiding and leaping out at nothing in particular. There are plants that you can plant in the garden that are irresistible to cats. One of these is 'Cat Grass', a hardy annual that that is quite easy to grow in the UK. This grass is also great for people who aren't lucky enough to have their own garden, as it can also be grown indoors!

It can be grown indoors at any time and seed can be easily purchased from good garden centres or online. For indoor use, sow in a shallow container or seed tray topped up with sowing compost. Cover the seed with about half an inch of soil, and water lightly until the grass reaches a height of about 6 inches, at which point you can trim the grass with scissors to keep in under control (that's if your cat hasn't already done it for you!). Keep the tray in a well lit room. For garden owners, sow the seed into a convenient patch near the front of a border, this will allow you to sit back and watch the fun. Cat's not only find cat grass an exciting place to play, but will also like to eat it. The natural oils in the plant will help keep their digestive system healthy.

If you have a reasonably sized garden, why not give them something to climb! But you'll need to consider the size of the tree before you buy the first thing that you find at the garden centre. Apples trees make good climbing trees for a cat, and you also benefit from tasty fruit in the autumn. They're quite easy to grow in the UK and come in all sizes to suit any size of garden, they can even be grown in pots! All commercial trees are grown on 'root stocks', these are selected to control the final height of the full grown tree. The root stock that creates the smallest tree is referred to as "M27", this is the one to go for if you intend to grow your tree in a large pot, though it'll always be a bit small for your cat to climb! Next up is "M9", again this is relatively small, it'd be good for planting in a small back garden, expect it to grow no more than about 6 to 8 feet. "M26" is a root stock probably ideal for most small to medium sized gardens, as it grows to around 10 feet. The "MM106" is known as a semi-dwarfing root stock, it is a very popular choice being good for the average garden, final height for this type of tree is around 12 feet. The most vigorous, the "MM111", grows up to 20 feet, making it unsuitable for most gardens.

What you will need to be aware of is that the smaller the root stock, the more care and attention the tree will need, particularly in the early stages. For example, "M27" trees will need cosseting for their whole life, with great care taken over watering and feeding. This is mainly because the root stocks used to restrict tree sizes do not spread as far as the more vigorous types, making it more difficult to support the tree both physically and nutritionally. On the other hand, a "MM106" root stock will spread much further within the soil, allowing the tree to thrive even in poor soils.

There is a benefit for a tree with a dwarfing rootstocks - they begin fruiting much earlier. Expect the "M27" trees to be fruiting within 2 years, whereas the "MM106" trees can take around 6 years to fruit.

Once established your tree will be providing a great place for your cat to explore and reward you at the same time with delicious fruit.

About the Author

Rob Tyrrell is a professional artist, keen gardener and owner of two cats! If you would like to find out more about his work as a pet portrait artist please visit his web site at http://www.robtyrrell-petportraits.co.uk

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Allan-Michael-Taylor/45501

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