What about a perennial Hibiscus, at least for a red flower?

Google says Tiger Lillies are NOT toxic to dogs, but ARE toxic to cats. I love mine, but the blooms don't last nearly long enough to satisfy me. There are lots of gorgeous hybrid daylillies these days, in various shades of red and orange. I doubt they are toxic to dogs, since humans can eat 'em!

Don't know how long-lasting they are, but Lobelia cardinalis is a beautiful tall red perennial. It is a wetland plant and does not tolerate drought, but does very well in partial sun. Hummingbirds absolutely love it.

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Lucifer crocosmia would work.

All the above suggestions are good ones. I could add to that Asclepias curavassica, which blooms clusters of brilliant red. orange and yellow flowers all summer long. It's easy from seed too. Rudbeckia, herbstonne, is a stunner both in foliage and flower, and will rebloom if cut back. Heliopsis and Heleniums come to mind too. And, of course, don't forget cannas. They wouldn't be winter hardy for you, but they are extremely easy to grow.

Heliopsis 'Prairie Sunset' Not always the easiest plant to find but well worth it for the beautiful long lasting flowers.

I love my Crocmosa Lucifer, and it has cool red flowers, after about July I think. They are very tall, 5 ft or so.

Good Luck!!

Heres a pic:

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Belamcanda chinensis, a.k.a. blackberry lily...Quite large orange, cup-shaped flowers. too bad, but I think it only gets about 30" tall. Growing for the first time this year. Kept reading about how fun and attractive the blackberry-like seed heads are for fall interest.

If you like orange, "trollius chinensie" is also a good choice for the area. Also, nobody has mentioned agastache rupestris, another great orange flower. Oh, also, erysimum is a nice orange to go with the monarda. "Gold Shot" looks like a nice cultivar. As you can see, I LOVE orange LOL.

How about Helenium?

Tiger Lily will go anywhere.

You could also try dahlias, although they are not perennials where you live.

I have not yet taken the plunge myself, and I'd have to deal with Illinois clay which may be something you have to do as well, but it suddenly occurred to me that a rose might be really wonderful.

There are oranges and reds, of course, rebloomers and longer-bloomers, and newer varieties that are more robust, cold tolerant, and disease resistant. Keep in mind that I'm speaking without any real knowledge. Just repeating the hype. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention the one thing that would be a must have for me...fragrance.

I understand that Mr. Lincoln is a stunning, fragrant red shrub rose. If I were going for red, that'd be the one.

How about tithonia(sp) mexican sunflower

Jupiters beard would be my pick!

Regarding Crocosmia Lucifer, I planted some of these in early June, should they be showing signs of breaking dormancy yet?

It's funny, this post is exactly what I was looking for -- tall red flowers. Can anyone recommend a reddish phlox that has done well for them?

Thanks.

'Starfire' is a classic medium height cherry red one, but it does tend to get mildew. I have a newer clear red one 'Miss Mary' that isn't prone to mildew, but it is not that tall, about 2 ft. 'Robert Poore' is a tall (4-5 ft.) mildew-resistant phlox, but it is more of a magenta-pink color. Very easy, though, and recommended if you like the color. It is definitely not red.

Here is a link that might be useful: Robert Poore phlox

Thank you so much for the different ideas :)

Alot of these plants are toxic for dogs though. I am having a hard time finding something that is not. Labs are so bad about getting into everything.

I have to build up my beds with brick and then use low iron fencing just to keep them out.

I really want the Crocosmia Lucifer, but cannot find it anywhere. It is safe for my animals.

Crocosmia 'Lucifer' is often for sale as corms (bulbs) in plastic bags in the spring, likely imported from Holland. You could probably mail-order them as well, from most nurseries that sell imported bulbs such as tulips or narcissus. It might be too late for this summer, though. Plan to get some next spring. Mine usually live over the winter in the ground, but they are easy and cheap even if you have to replace them every couple of years or so.

A poster above made a comment about a rose. I have for the second year now, Oh so Easy Paprika rose. It is absolutely living up to it press. The blooms are a beautiful tangerine with a yellow eye. They fade to pale coral before falling neatly to the ground. The foliage is a healthy rich blue/green. My plant has yet to be out of blooms this year.

Hey lovefor nature,

I have Labs too, so I know exactly where you're coming from. ;)

I too have become very concerned [paranoid] about what I plant in the backyard.

For the past couple of years, I have been doing a massive amount of googling of toxic plants. Crocosmia, if memory serves, falls into the red flag/no-no category. :( I believe they are in the iris family, which is toxic if eaten.

The plants I can think of off the top of my head that have orange blooms and would be completely safe for dogs are Cannas and Echinaceas (aren't there some orange varieties?). As someone mentioned above, daylilies are reported safe for dogs by the ASPCA Poison Control Center experts, but can cause kidney failure in cats.

Something that causes kidney failure in one species makes me a little nervous, so I've stayed away from those too. I mean, what if there are just no *reported* cases with dogs? I dunno.

If you can find an orange or peachy rose, those are totally safe as well.

I have limited the backyard to miscanthus varieties, crape myrtle, roses, hardy hibiscus (this one can cause stomach upset, but I have it planted in a raised bed), cannas...

OH! I just remembered one that's safe and orange! Torch lily! I have some of these back there too. Not a super-long bloom season, but very striking when it's going.

Hope that helps! :)

Hi Connietin,

I wish I would have noticed your post earlier. I thought this thread had died. I hope you are still out there!!

I have just started making gardens in my back yard and have extremely high raised beds with short fencing around. Labs are so naughty, but I love them.

Thank you for letting me know about the Crocosmia. I thought that it was a safe plant. This will have to be a front yard plant if I decided to get it.

I have some other plants that I cannot find any info. on if they are on the list as a no-no for dogs and wondering if you can help me out. Here they are:
Honeysuckle - John Clayton
Liatris - Gayfeather Blazing Star
Pulmonaria - Lungwort (Bertram Anderson, Ms. Moon)
Hosta's
Salvia (any variety)
Stachys "Helen Van Stein" (Lambs Ears)
Jack Frost (I think Brunera (sp) is the plant type)

Thanks so much :)

Hey! I'm here! :) Yes, Labs are really adorable, but boy, can they find trouble! I am glad to meet someone else with Labs who understands that you have to watch out what you put within reach of their mouths! LOL

Of the ones you listed above, the one I feel pretty sure is safe is Salvia. Most herbs (not all, but most) seem to be safe for dogs.

I do remember that Pulmonaria is definitely not safe, and I think Brunnera isn't safe as well.

Hosta is listed on the ASPCA site as toxic, but I don't think it is deadly.

Lambs ear...I can't remember which way that one went. I don't see it on ASPCA or HSUS Web sites.

I was looking into honeysuckle for our back yard, and found something that made me decide to nix it.

A lot depends, I guess, on whether you think the dogs would bother the things in your raised/fenced beds. You might be able to make some concessions with marginal stuff if you know that the leaves and such will be out of reach.

Have you ever checked out ASPCA's Web site? I refer to it a lot for info on toxic plants. hsus.org has a section on toxic plants, too. ucdavis.edu is another list I like, and they have lists for toxic and safe (but keep in mind their lists are compiled for primarily for humans, not animals).

Thanks so much for replying. I thought for sure I probably lost you because the post was getting older.

I have been to the ASPCA's website quite a bit. Been to other sites too. What I hate is when on site states something is find and another states it is not. Uggg.....

The plants I listed above are the ones I could not find, except for the Hosta.

Again, one site stated Hosta was safe for dogs and another said it was not.

My neighbor has a black walnut tree and the leaves hang over our back yard fence. Sticks and walnuts fall. One of my labs LOVES to bring things in to me and walnuts is one of them. He gets into sticks too. Anyway, I know the black walnut is not safe for them so I try to pick up the sticks and nuts every day.

Thanks again and enjoy your plants and labs :)

We have a black walnut tree, and I absolutely cannot stand that thing! LOL! It is the last thing to leaf out in spring, the first to drop them in fall, and we were picking up walnuts daily for at least two months last fall! Blech! That tree's days are numbered, I tell you!!

One of my dogs once got a black walnut stuck between his back teeth. It was lodged in such a way that it propped his jaw open and he couldn't close his mouth. :( I saw him walking around the backyard, drooling and holding his mouth open, and thought he must be having a seizure or something. Scared me to death!

Toxic plant reports can be very confusing. I have run into a lot of what you mentioned with the hosta: One site says OK, the other says no way. :( I've really been pulling my hair out over it! I finally broke down and bought a super-expensive, but well-regarded, book about toxic plants, in an attempt to get to the bottom of it all.

One thing I have gleaned is, there are all ranges of "toxic," from upset stomachs to death. There are a few plants that I can say with certainty I would never, ever, under any circumstances have in my yard.

Then there is the category of plants for which I have not been able to find one report of toxicity. Like the highly toxic category, it's pretty small, too. These are the ones I'm sticking with in my yard.

Most plants, it seems, fall somewhere in between. Toxic properties, but varying reports on the graveness of the toxicity. It is extremely difficult sometimes to determine to what degree they are toxic.

Anyway...I think it's awesome that you are such a great dog owner, to be concerned for their safety. :) They are lucky dogs to have you!

i agree -- crocosmia 'lucifer' is a *great* tall plant. i planted them en masse last season and can't wait for them to mature.

j.