Any ideas for the edge around a duck pond?

[BelovedBirds]

Have you thought about hardy bamboo?

Bamboo? What do you mean?

I'm in the same boat as you @HollowOfWisps
I'm about to redo my duck pen and change their pond set up. Less muddy mess around it...
I'm thinking patio slabs, but at the same time they're quite rough and I worry about their feet. Sand would be a great option, but is that going to safe for them? I imagine it getting very warm in the sun, and perhaps dusty.
I'm likely overthinking it. The other option is fake grass.

Do let us know what idea you settle on! I need some ideas lol.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Bamboo? What do you mean?

I'm in the same boat as you @HollowOfWisps
I'm about to redo my duck pen and change their pond set up. Less muddy mess around it...
I'm thinking patio slabs, but at the same time they're quite rough and I worry about their feet. Sand would be a great option, but is that going to safe for them? I imagine it getting very warm in the sun, and perhaps dusty.
I'm likely overthinking it. The other option is fake grass.

Do let us know what idea you settle on! I need some ideas lol.

You know, bamboo? The grass that thinks it's a tree?

 

[BelovedBirds]

You know, bamboo? The grass that thinks it's a tree?

Yes, I...I know what bamboo is

 

[Canadian Wind]

There are several species of bamboo that are winter hardy, and they make an interesting and unique addition to a landscape.

 

[Lor]

We decided to make the duck pond a little nicer. Pictures were taken when we were first filling and adjusting the liner. The ducks decided that they couldn’t wait and wanted to try the new pond out before we had even finished filling it. I am still debating on what’s the best option for around the sides. I was originally thinking maybe some big flat landscaping rocks? Other ideas were rubber pavers, stone pavers or some polished river rock?
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Won't you need the pavers to hold the liner in place?

 

[DuneDucks]

Do you get a lot of wind? I probably wouldn't recommend sand if so. You'll just end up with most of it in the pond. Ducks will dig through and consume wet sand so much faster than they do mud too. I live on the bottom of two sand dunes, so sand is unavoidable to a large extent, but it always makes me super anxious when water puddles up in the wrong spot and the ducks get to digging in the sand. Their crops get massive quick; not at all hard to imagine they would become impacted if left unchecked to dig in the sand.

I made a little wall/corner with some stone pavers around the back half of my pond, but mostly because I don't have a liner, and it's the only thing that stops them from endlessly expanding the pond in certain spots. They jump out of the pond onto the pavers more than I'd like, but I haven't noticed any big impact on their feet. My drake flock's feet look worse just chasing each other around the yard than the girls do from jumping out of their pond. That said, I still probably wouldn't use them if I didn't have to.

Perhaps I'm just boring, but I would probably keep it simple, throw some dirt/mulch/etc around the edges and try to grow or transplant some tall grass and maybe wildflowers. That's basically what I'm doing now with my own anyways.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Do you get a lot of wind? I probably wouldn't recommend sand if so. You'll just end up with most of it in the pond. Ducks will dig through and consume wet sand so much faster than they do mud too. I live on the bottom of two sand dunes, so sand is unavoidable to a large extent, but it always makes me super anxious when water puddles up in the wrong spot and the ducks get to digging in the sand. Their crops get massive quick; not at all hard to imagine they would become impacted if left unchecked to dig in the sand.

I made a little wall/corner with some stone pavers around the back half of my pond, but mostly because I don't have a liner, and it's the only thing that stops them from endlessly expanding the pond in certain spots. They jump out of the pond onto the pavers more than I'd like, but I haven't noticed any big impact on their feet. My drake flock's feet look worse just chasing each other around the yard than the girls do from jumping out of their pond. That said, I still probably wouldn't use them if I didn't have to.

Perhaps I'm just boring, but I would probably keep it simple, throw some dirt/mulch/etc around the edges and try to grow or transplant some tall grass and maybe wildflowers. That's basically what I'm doing now with my own anyways.

Wouldn't they obliterate the plants though?

 

[DuneDucks]

Wouldn't they obliterate the plants though?

I would think it depends on how much area they have access to. I have a lot of green coming up nice around my pond right now, but they also have a considerably larger run to entertain themselves in, so mine usually don't just sit there focused on one spot in their pen. And on the occasion I feel they are I just herd them to a different spot. I know some can't even grow grass in their yards, let alone around the pond, so I know that's not applicable to everyone though. Having the extra space is the big key there tbh.

I transplanted some fescue last year that did really well for months until I let the pond overflow too many times and they went absolutely crazy digging it up. The biggest thing I've found helps is planting it just far enough away that they can't sit in the water and get at it, or else yeah they will just sit there for hours a day pulling at what they can. Depending on the water level, a row of pavers around the edge also helps stop them from digging in the mud and pulling roots too.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Pampas grass.