Pet-friendly flowers for a Valentine's Day bouquet, and ones to avoid

A worldwide symbol of love and affection, floral bouquets are unsurprisingly a staple of Valentine's Day. There are so many flowers to choose from when crafting your Valentine's bouquet, giving you plenty of options for creating the perfect one for your partner's taste. But as many pet-owners know, some of the most popular additions to bouquets can be toxic for our four-legged friends, so they should be avoided altogether for their safety.

The good news is that there are still plenty of beautiful, romantic dog- and cat-friendly flowers to choose from. To help you create the perfect pet-safe floral arrangement, the pet food brand Webbox are here to share some of their favourite additions to a pet-friendly bouquet, as well as flowers which should be avoided completely.

The best pet-friendly flowers for a Valentine's bouquet

It's always important to put any plants and flowers out of reach of your pets to stop them from chewing on things they shouldn't be. But just doing this isn't always enough for crafty pets. This is especially the case for cat-owners as felines seem to be able to get into the smallest and most awkward of nooks with ease, and are often curious to look at any new additions to their home. To completely eliminate the risk of your dog or cat getting ill from flowers, you can make a bouquet for your special someone using the pet-friendly options below.

Roses
You can breathe a big sigh of relief, as this Valentine's Day classic is safe to have in the home around both cats and dogs. Every variety of rose is considered to be pet-safe, but if possible you may want to opt for thornless roses to reduce the risk of pets scratching themselves. You have plenty of choice with this flower when crafting your bouquet, from classic red roses for romance, to lighter shades like white, pink, and peach, which are the perfect colours for a beautiful spring floral arrangement.

Statice
While the main stars of the bouquet like roses are important, the flowers which fill the empty space are crucial for bringing life to the arrangement, and statice is perfect for doing just that. Statice is safe for dogs and cats, and comes in a variety of shades, including deep blues and purples, as well as lighter choices like white, pinks, and yellows. So no matter the main flower you choose, statice is sure to make a great accompaniment.  

Freesias
This delicate cat- and dog- friendly flower is considered to be a symbol of friendship, making it the perfect addition to a floral bouquet for not just your partner, but any one of your loved ones. These funnel-shaped flowers come in a great selection of shades, including orange, white, yellow, pink, and red. If you're planning on crafting a bouquet with a distinctive scent, the red and pink varieties tend to have the strongest smells out of the bunch.

Snapdragon
If you're looking to incorporate a distinctive and unique pet-safe flower in your arrangement, a snapdragon is the perfect choice. Sometimes used as garnish for humans, this flower is completely non-toxic for both cats and dogs. Coming in shades of pink, yellow, orange, and red, adding this flower to your bouquet is the perfect way to introduce a pop of colour.

China asters
These flowers, which resemble large daisies and come in a variety of colours, are safe to have in the home with cats and dogs. Symbolizing love, patience, and faith, they are the perfect addition to include in a bouquet for your partner. This flower is also the September birth flower, making it a particularly thoughtful addition if you're giving your arrangement to someone born in this month.

Which flowers should you avoid?

Fortunately, you won't find yourself short of pet-friendly options when creating a thoughtful Valentine's Day bouquet. However, there are some popular cut flower staples which are toxic for our pets. The following flowers should be avoided when putting together your pet-safe floral arrangement:

• Lilies: These flowers are toxic for both dogs and cats, but are particularly dangerous for felines as consumption can lead to kidney failure.
• Tulips: Also in the lily family, tulips are poisonous for cats and dogs, including the flowers, leaves, and bulbs.
• Daffodils: While it's popular to have in the home at this time of year, every part of a daffodil flower is toxic to dogs and cats.
• Carnations: These flowers are toxic for cats, and even more so for dogs. Consumption can cause skin irritation and stomach upset.
• Hyacinths: Another member of the lily family which is poisonous for both cats and dogs, which can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, and tremors if ingested.
• Sweet peas: This is a particularly dangerous flower for pets, which can cause tremors and seizures if consumed.
• Azaleas: All parts of the azalea plant are poisonous for dogs and cats, and can cause drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea, and an abnormal heart rate when ingested by our pets.
• Mistletoe: Although this may be the perfect romantic flower,  the leaves and berries of this flower are toxic for our pets.

While some choose to take the risk of including the above and keeping them out of reach of pets, for the safety of your four-legged friend and your own peace of mind, we'd recommend sticking to the beautiful pet-friendly flowers above.

"If you're planning on treating your pet-owner partner (or yourself) to a floral arrangement this Valentine's Day, you can give them peace of mind by making sure the bouquet is safe for their four-legged friend. While ingesting any type of plant or flower may cause mild stomach upset in cats and dogs, the collection of pet-friendly flowers in this list are considered to be safe even when consumed. Of course, to enjoy the bouquet as long as possible it's still a good idea to keep it well out of the way of curious paws!

"To impress your partner even further, go the extra mile and get a small gift for their pet too. Something as simple as a packet of nutritious cat or dog treats or a small toy is a great way to show you care, and may even distract them from becoming too interested in the new bouquet."

—      Lisa Melvin, Head of Marketing at Webbox

About the brand

Since 1984, Webbox have been making pet food that's designed to taste good and do good too. Specialising in pet food, treats, and toys, Webbox have made your pets' health their number one priority, and all their food is specially formulated to give your furry friends all of their essential vitamins and minerals. Better yet, their collection of food and treats are so tasty, your pets will keep coming back for more.

To find out more, visit https://www.webbox.co.uk/