What's eating my swordleaf rush?

Swordleaf Rush is a hardy, largely pest-free marginal plant. Slugs may occasionally target young shoots in very wet garden conditions, and wildfowl such as ducks can uproot or damage plants at pond edges. No serious insect pests are recorded — established clumps are tough and self-maintaining.

Nibbling of soft new shoots in spring; young transplants most at risk. Apply ferric phosphate pellets around new plantings; use grit mulch at the base. Once established, plants outgrow slug pressure.

Ducks and coots uproot shallow-planted marginals while foraging, exposing root balls. Plant in heavy baskets with aquatic compost topped with gravel; use pond plant baskets that resist lifting. Guard new plantings with mesh if wildfowl are persistent.