What exactly is a bog garden?
atural ponds generally have areas of soggy, low-lying bog around the water’s edge, which are packed with rushes, irises, the nests of water birds, frogs, newts and so on.
Lythrum salicaria (Purple Loosestrife) is a wonderful option for a bog garden – it thrives in well-watered, muddy areas.
DESIGN COMPONENTS
A bog garden can be built around the edge of a wildlife pond so that it benefits from pond overflow and seepage; or, if the garden is too small for a pond, it can be built as a feature in its own right.
• Crown leaf rot – If the crown of a new plant swiftly turns yellow, the likelihood is that it is unhappy with the depth of water. Try lifting the plant to slightly drier ground.
• Insect pests – Most insect pests can be controlled by rubbing them off with your fingers or by bringing in natural predators. Be very wary of using chemical controls because they might damage the wildlife.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
• Clear out all plant debris from the bog garden at the start and finish of the season.
• If the water level rises to the point where it breaks the surface of the soil, you should spike the underlying butyl liner or plastic sheet so as to increase the drainage.
atural ponds generally have areas of soggy, low-lying bog around the water’s edge, which are packed with rushes, irises, the nests of water birds, frogs, newts and so on.
Characteristically, these areas very rarely dry out, they are wet and difficult underfoot, and conditions are such that the underlying water is free-flowing rather than stagnant. In a wildlife garden, a bog garden is an artificial replication of a stretch of pondside plant life.
Boggy areas may be difficult for humans underfoot, but they are perfect for certain types of plant and for associated wildlife.
Boggy areas may be difficult for humans underfoot, but they are perfect for certain types of plant and for associated wildlife.
Lythrum salicaria (Purple Loosestrife) is a wonderful option for a bog garden – it thrives in well-watered, muddy areas.
DESIGN COMPONENTS
A bog garden can be built around the edge of a wildlife pond so that it benefits from pond overflow and seepage; or, if the garden is too small for a pond, it can be built as a feature in its own right.
The primary components are boggy soil (always wet but never stagnant), lots of shade and dense, lush planting. If you are trying to keep costs to a minimum, you could line the bog garden with lots of recycled plastic bags, well overlapped.
VARIATIONS TO CONSIDER
If you enjoy the notion of a pond and bog garden, but have decided for safety’s sake to keep water to a minimum, you could build two small ponds, one at a slightly higher level than the other, with a large area of bog garden in between.
VARIATIONS TO CONSIDER
If you enjoy the notion of a pond and bog garden, but have decided for safety’s sake to keep water to a minimum, you could build two small ponds, one at a slightly higher level than the other, with a large area of bog garden in between.
Water is directed into the higher or ‘feeder’ pond from the rest of the garden, then overflows down and through the bog garden, and finally drains into the lower or ‘sump’ pond. With this scenario, you can have most of the wildlife advantages of a pond and bog garden without actually having a large area of water.
Children and elderly people
The average bog garden is not as dangerous as a pond – you cannot drown in it – but the ground is nevertheless soft and squidgy. Bog gardens are usually set close to ponds and at a lower level than most of the garden, so they are by nature slippery and treacherous underfoot. If you are worried about children or elderly folk, you can build dry high-ground woodchip walks that cross the bog garden.
How To Make A Bog Garden - A stand-alone bog garden
How To Make A Bog Garden - A stand-alone bog garden
A bog garden can be created by lining a hole with plastic, adding shingle for drainage, and installing a water feed to ensure that the soil is kept damp. To cut costs, use black plastic bags lapped over each
other to line the hole.
A bog garden by a pond ( Built to extend a pond’s visual impact )
A pond side bog garden is best built at the same time as the pond, using off-cuts of liner. The bog garden will benefit from constant seepage from the pond, but you do have to ensure that it doesn’t leach nutrients back into the water.
BOG PLANTS
Bog plants – sometimes described by nurseries as ‘moisture-loving plants’ – positively enjoy being in damp soil, as long as the water in the soil is free-moving (see also pages 24–25). They will not be happy in soil that is waterlogged or in stagnant water. Many shallow-water marginal plants can also be grown successfully in bog gardens.
other to line the hole.
A bog garden by a pond ( Built to extend a pond’s visual impact )
A pond side bog garden is best built at the same time as the pond, using off-cuts of liner. The bog garden will benefit from constant seepage from the pond, but you do have to ensure that it doesn’t leach nutrients back into the water.
BOG PLANTS
Bog plants – sometimes described by nurseries as ‘moisture-loving plants’ – positively enjoy being in damp soil, as long as the water in the soil is free-moving (see also pages 24–25). They will not be happy in soil that is waterlogged or in stagnant water. Many shallow-water marginal plants can also be grown successfully in bog gardens.
Start with a small number of carefully researched plants, and see how it goes. Do not set the plants too deep, and make sure the area of bog neither dries out nor floods. Although bog plants require no more care than those in other parts of the garden, there are specific problems to watch out for:
• Snail damage – Large numbers of water snails can munch through new plants. Make sure there are suitable predators (see page 74) to limit the snail population.
• Snail damage – Large numbers of water snails can munch through new plants. Make sure there are suitable predators (see page 74) to limit the snail population.
• Crown leaf rot – If the crown of a new plant swiftly turns yellow, the likelihood is that it is unhappy with the depth of water. Try lifting the plant to slightly drier ground.
• Insect pests – Most insect pests can be controlled by rubbing them off with your fingers or by bringing in natural predators. Be very wary of using chemical controls because they might damage the wildlife.
• Clear out all plant debris from the bog garden at the start and finish of the season.
• If the water level rises to the point where it breaks the surface of the soil, you should spike the underlying butyl liner or plastic sheet so as to increase the drainage.
• If the bog garden dries out too quickly, then – by trial and error – either lower the edge of the pond slightly so as to increase the water run-off or direct additional water into the bog garden from house rainwater pipes.
A luscious mix of pond and bog plants that enjoy moist conditions.
A luscious mix of pond and bog plants that enjoy moist conditions.
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