how bout the new member with the name of tree? welcome. they have revived an old thread and it has me hiperventilating. i will send this post (is it a diatribe?)

i hate canary reed grass. it is the worst pestilence ever placed on this beautiful earth. ISU has improved it, it is terrible. it forms dense monocultures, it grows almost all winter, it seeds like crazy, i can show you jungles of it 6 feet high where it is the only plant for literally miles, it has ruined the Iowa river valley, if you like canary reed then you are no friend of mine.

i would like to see you use native sedge mixes adn rushes. prairie moon nursery will sell you mixes adn i am sure there are other suppliers. sedges grow in the water and wet soils (and some in dry soils) adn are very beautiful. with forbs and sedges you can spray to kill the grasses (canary reed).

dwarf tall fescue is a non native that has many of the same characteristics as canary reed but it only grows 4 or 5 inches tall and produces thick turf that will hold. i am getting tired of it too but its way way better than canary reed (short and fewer seeds). it produces something like a lawn. but it is way way less interesting than sedges and forbes.

for privacy i would suggest white pines, american cranberry, arrowwood, grey dogwoods. these are all native and very beneficial to wildlife.

canary reed has virtually no use to wildlife, there are no nests in it, they dont eat it, they cant walk thru it, i challenge anyone to show me any wildlife getting any use of canary reed other than temporary cover. i challenge anyone to show me a beautiful picture of canary reed, it is uglier than some of my girlfriends.

it should be illegal to sell canary reed. do not plant canary reed, there has to be something better in the long run. why invest in a pond if you just want to turn it into a canary reed cesspool.

i dont want anyone on pondboss to recomend canary reed grass. just forgetaboutit.