On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 17:11:44 -0600, "FrankS"
wrote:

I'm thinking of creating a bog garden this year but haven't been able to
find much info on how to do it. Basically, I'm thinking of digging a
shallow depression about 10 ft in diameter and 10 to 12 inches deep and
refilling with about 6 inches of topsoil. I have a natural slope to my yard
so keeping it wet shouldn't be a major problem for me. I would like to
create as much a natural environment as possible with cattail, bulrushes,
horsetails and any other bog type plant I can find. I have about 4 to 6
inches of topsoil over a thick bed of clay. I live in the extreme north of
zone 4 so winters are long and brutal while the summers can be hot as hell.
I want this to be a low maintenance area and I'm not interested in
attracting any wildlife although, if it works, I imagine frogs and garter
snakes may show up.

Does anyone have any experience or info to share with me?

thanks frank



I have a pond, about 7,000 gallons or so. It took me 3 weeks to dig
it out. Frogs were watching me dig it out and immediately took it
over. The pond is fed by an underground natural spring. I installed
a standpipe that takes the overflow to a nearby stream. Later, I
surrounded the pond with flagstone. The water was muddy for about a
month, then cleared up. I planted a few aquatic plants. The elodea,
parrot feather, cattail, miniature horsetail, and lilies grew quickly.
Currently I have azola invasive problems and use it to feed the
compost. One year I had to evict a muskrat. Water snakes and herons
can be a problem at times for the larger fish. There's a pond
newsgroup you should check out. I'm in zone 7 with very little pond
freezing.