Q Which ornamental climbers are safe for dogs?
Lynne Brunot, by email
AANNE SAYS This is a rather unusual request, and a challenging one, because while some plants are definitely toxic to dogs, others are questionable, rarely eaten or have poisonous or indigestible berries. Our dogs have been around all kinds of potentially poisonous plants, but never ate any of them. But if a dog is bored or very curious, you’d be wise to be more cautious. Many clematis are poisonous, and Pileostegia, an evergreen climber in the hydrangea tribe, is likely to be toxic. Evergreen fastgrowing Japanese honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica ‘Halliana’, may be poisonous and as with pyracantha and cotoneaster, there are berries to worry about. If you widen the net to include wall shrubs, then roses are a good choice, while Japanese quinces ( Chaenomeles) are safe, durable and semi- evergreen.