Native Plants
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Friday - March 27, 2009
From: Grand Junction, CO
Region: Rocky Mountain
Topic: Water Gardens
Title: Pond plants that ducks will NOT eat
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
What kind of pond plants are there that ducks will NOT eat?ANSWER:
Well, I am sure that there are some pond plants that ducks won't eat, but I don't know specific ones. I do know, however, that ducks really like young and tender plants to eat; so, if you can protect your plants in enclosures until they are more mature, the ducks are not as likely to be able to completely destroy them. Another strategy is to overwhelm them with plants, especially grasses, rushes and sedges—that way the more ornamental plants might have a chance of surviving. Here is a link to an article, Plants for Ponds and Pens, from the British Waterfowl Association with suggestions on ways to maintain plants for ducks. By the way, you are not the first person to be frustrated with trying to maintain plants in the presence of ducks. Please see the answer to another recent question about ducks and plants.Here are some suggestions for grasses or grasslike plants for ponds or their edges that grow in or adjacent to Mesa County, Colorado:
Deschampsia cespitosa (Tufted hairgrass)
Eleocharis montevidensis (sand spikerush)
Eleocharis palustris (common spikerush) and here are photos
Juncus torreyi (Torrey's rush)
Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani (softstem bulrush)
More Water Gardens Questions
Native plants for a littoral zone in Fort Myers, Florida
June 05, 2009 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
What native plants would you recommend for the littoral zone on a pond in Fort Myers Florida?
Damon's Mom
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Specifying sizes of plants for pond edge plantings in Austin area
December 19, 2014 - I am working on a list of pond edge plantings for the Austin area that will be in the fluctuation zone and I have my list of my plants but I need to know how to spec the sizes and to make sure my list...
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Companion plants for irises
April 22, 2007 - Hello...what do you suggest as a companion plant for irises? I live in the Texas Hill Country.
Thanks.
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Effect of herbicides on frogs
December 10, 2007 - I live in a planned development adjacent to a natural waterway that contains native and non native plants. It also is an amphibian habitat with many frogs.
The landscape manager has sprayed the ar...
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Tropical Texas landscape from Houston
March 04, 2013 - Do you know of any public (or at least photographed) place in Texas that has been landscaped entirely with native "tropical-looking" (i.e. evergreen but NOT conifer and NOT succulent/arid) species? ...
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