Ducks + Dogs = not great gardening

[TLWR]

If they don't eat it, they squash it.
Promptly after planting a bunch of mums between the sidewalk and fence, the dogs ran into a bunch of them and broke them.
The ones I planted by the duck pond, ducks left alone and went around for the longest time. Then somebody started digging in there (I have my suspicions, but no proof on which dog it was). After a few days of digging, I saw my mum broke.
And today I saw this...

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
yep they make beds out of anything. so cute though! I have given up planting flowers i just plant shrubs now.

 

[Wulfandwyn]

so rotten but cute

 

[AnaD]

Rosemary and lavender is good to have because when it is big enough they sleep IN it rather than ON it

 

[bayyjayy]

Literally adorable!

 

[duckielub]

How can you not love a duck??? That is entirely too cute!

I have the same issue. I love my garden. I try to plant things that my Great Dane can't snap with his weight. He doesn't try to hurt the plants, but if he backs into them, it's over if they're tender.

The ducks are another story. They have their favorite eats... which unfortunately are my favorite plants. They demolished my Wandering Jew within a couple of weeks of free ranging, and I had A LOT.... I almost decided to give the ducks up for the plant, but then I said...nahhhhh! The plants don't follow me around the yard wanting peas!

This coming spring, I'm going to take a different approach and attach some planters high, to the various trees around the woodline for the Wandering Jew... that way I can have the beautiful purple and my ducks won't eat it. Where there's a will, there's a way.

You may have to modify your garden design, but there are things that they won't touch. You just have to learn what they are.

 

[duckielub]

I just have to say again... that is the cutest ever. She almost has a look on her face like "What? These weren't for me?".

 

[TLWR]

They left the mums alone until one of the dogs (I think it was the dane, she's the digger now and there's holes in that area too). Ducks were walking around the mum and then it looked like a "oops, dane didn't pay attention to where she was stepping" when getting a drink and smooshed my plant. Ally saw it and thought it was a great place to rest.
I'll laugh my bottom off if she lays an egg in there tomorrow!

They did eat an ornamental cabbage planted in an area I've not seen them. But they only ate one. I decided I needed to move the other and went out the next morning and they raced me to it, hopped up into the bed and each grabbed a leaf. Nope, that one is mine, you ate yours!

I test my plants. I stick them out by the pond for a few days to see what they will do with it before I decide to plant it.

There was a coreopsis out there by their pond, but they stomped that and then rooted around at the base, so not sure that will come back.
The hostas I'm hoping will come back strong. They don't eat them, but step on or sleep on them.
The echinacea they left alone while it was flowering, but once that was done, they walked all over that too, but they seem to be holding up still.


DH and I were discussing our plans for our lotto winnings (that we never win - we were in FL for dinner tonight) and landscaper to figure out duck/dog friendly landscaped back yard was top on my list, right after driving up to work, honking my horn until our director came out to hand her a note that said "This is my 2 weeks notice and I have arranged for a sub for those 2 weeks. So long."

 

[duckielub]

Of course you have to reserve some of those lotto winnings for the fancy new duck condo and more ducks to go in it!!!

 

[mandelyn]

I've quit planting stuff out back. Husband installed some flower boxes made of this mossy stuff onto the fence rails.. supposedly high enough to be safe. My brothers idiot dog chewed the bottom off one of the planter boxes, so down to 3 already! Hammie the chicken flew up to see what was going on up there... scratched the flowers out of the chewed up box. Nice of her to keep the damage to the already dog damaged one. The boxes on either side of the gate to the bird area look great!

Planted mums up front this year... they died all on their own a week later. They were really pretty purple ones too! If I bother with them next year, I'm setting them on the porch on the steps and not even bothering to stick them in the ground.