Houseplants Safe for Birds

Many bird lovers tend to surround themselves with other beautiful things, including houseplants. The challenge is either training your bird to respect and stay away from your plants, or carefully selecting plants that are safe for your bird. Our recommendation is that, as much as possible, you should train your pets that houseplants are off limits, and supervise your birds activities to ensure that no accidents occur. Never allow your bird to ingest houseplants! Even if the plants are not toxic, insecticide or fertilizer residues in or on the plants may be harmful to your pet. Because we all know that our avian friends can get into mischief, even under the most vigilant eye, we have provided the following list of nontoxic plants that are generally considered safe to have around your bird.

Houseplants with attractive foliage

  1. Boston fern (Nephrolepsis bostonensis)-green cascasding fronds ideal for hanging baskets. Likes indirect light, moist soil, frequent misting and temperatures around 70 degrees.
  2. Spider plant, also called airplane plant (Chlorophytum comosum)-easy to grow, narrow, arcing, variegated foliage. Reproduces via “plantlets” that grow on the end of long tendrils. Keep in indirect light, 60 – 70 degrees, do not overwater.
  3. Rubber plant (Ficus elastica)
  4. Zebra plant (Aphelandra squarrosa)

Flowering Houseplants

  1. Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana)-clusters of small red, orange, yellow or pink flowers, thick, broad succulent leaves. Prefers direct sunlight, well-drained soil, cool temperatures.
  2. Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)– shrub-like to tree-like growth, glossy dark green leaves, large blooms in a variety of colors. Keep in a sunny location, moist, well-drained soil, warm temperatures.
  3. African violet (Saintpaulia spp.)– fuzzy, oval, deep green leaves, with prolific small blooms in various colors. Keep roots moist, cool temperatures, indirect light.

Herbs

  1. Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
  2. Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)

Outdoor plants and flowers The following is a list of typically outdoor plants frequently brought indoors for decorating

  1. Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides)
  2. Magnolia (Magnolia spp.)
  3. Petunia (Petunia spp.)
  4. Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.)