Making a Bog Garden


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Making a Bog Garden

More on Ponds

• Deciding to Make a Garden Pond
• Constructing a Pond Using a Pre-formed Shell
• Constructing a Pond Using a Flexible Liner
• Basic Planting for Your Pond
• Prepare Your Garden Pond for Winter

If you have a pond, the addition of a bog garden alongside greatly increases the range of water-loving plants you can grow. If you have small children, making a proper garden pool too dangerous, then a bog garden at least gives you the opportunity to grow some moisture loving plants without any danger at all.

So where do you start?
First of all decide where you want it and how big it should be.

Just like constructing a pond or new flowerbed, it starts with digging.
Dig out at least 18 inches of soil. Remove roots, stones, etc from the hole and then firm down the soil.
Now use a flexible liner to cover the hole. It should stop just level with the top of the hole. For this you don't need a high quality liner because it doesn't have to be as strong as that used in a pond nor is it likely to be exposed to sunlight. You can use polythene pond lining or even second hand liner.
Punch some drainage holes in the bottom of the liner with a garden fork then cover these with gravel to prevent them becoming blocked by soil.
To make providing water easy, insert a vertical pipe into the hole and cover the outlet at the bottom with gravel, again to prevent blockages. Put a hose attachment on the top.
Mix well rotted compost into the soil then fill the hole with it, keeping the water pipe vertical.
Thoroughly soak the new bog garden so that it is... well, boggy!

Bog Garden Plants
There are a wide range of plants that love boggy conditions and you will be spoilt for choice if you visit any good garden centre, water garden centre or specialist nursery. Remember that many are very vigourous so avoid those that are likely to take over and crowd out the more delicate ones.

Here are just a few suggestions of some of the more popular moisture loving plants.

Name	Flowers	Flowering Time	Other Information
Astilbe	Yes	Summer	Flowers are plumes in a range of colours from white to deep red.
Caltha	Yes	Spring	A range of moisture loving plant with lovely yellow buttercup-like flowers.
Gunnera manicata	Yes	Early summer	This impressive plant isn't grown for its flowers but for its foliage. This should only be grown in very large gardens as it is a giant growing up 15ft high and the leaves alone can be several feet wide.
Hemerocallis (Day Lily)	Yes	Summer	Flower colour varied according to variety. Although the flowers only last about a day, they are produced in profusion.
Hosta	Yes	Summer	This is another plant grown principally for its foliage which varies from variegated cream and green, to darkest green. Some varieties have textured ribbed leaves. Slugs love them!
Iris	Yes	Spring to Summer	There are a number of varieties that love boggy conditions.
Lobelia cardinalis	Yes	Summer	This is a beautiful variety with bright crimson flowers borne on erect stems - quite different to bedding lobelia.
Lythum salicaria (loosestrife)	Yes	Summer	The pink to purple spires of flowers are borne on erect stems, up to 5ft tall. One of my favourites for its long flowering period and because it is so troublefree.
Lysichiton Americanus (Skunk cabbage)	Yes	Spring	A vigorous clump forming plant with yellow flowers - these consist of a spathe enclosing a flower spike.
Primula	Yes	Spring	Not normally associated with bog gardens, there are a number of varieties that like to have their feet wet and do well there.
Troillus	Yes	Summer	Yellow to orange flowers mostly growing to about 2ft in height.

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