Bog gardens
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 |
Bog gardens
"FrankS" wrote in
: 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 If you don't get any wildlife you might as well make a little wooden sign saying "MOTEL - mosquitoes stay free" |
Bog gardens
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 would be wary of the cattails and horsetail, both can be very invasive. If I were doing it I would include iris, but not pseudoacorous, it gets out of hand as well. If you fill it enough to have standing water all the time I would add some mosquito fish, Gambusia affinis. -- - Charles - -does not play well with others |
Bog gardens
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 would recommend finding a good book on bog gardening. For some reason, straight topsoil doesn't seem too bog-like. You may wish to incorporate some peat. Peat comes from bogs. I would stay away from horsetail (equisetum) since it is very invasive and may take over the entire area. A 10' diameter "bog" is not that much space. |
Bog gardens
Charles wrote:
= 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 an= d refilling with about 6 inches of topsoil. I have a natural slope to m= y yard so keeping it wet shouldn't be a major problem for me. I would like t= o create as much a natural environment as possible with cattail, bulrush= es, 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 no= rth 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 gar= ter snakes may show up. Does anyone have any experience or info to share with me? thanks frank = I would be wary of the cattails and horsetail, both can be very invasive. If I were doing it I would include iris, but not pseudoacorous, it gets out of hand as well. Amen on all points. = If you fill it enough to have standing water all the time I would add some mosquito fish, Gambusia affinis. I know some pond folks who have tried native minnows in ditches along with a small number of aquarium fish. Green fan-tailed molly with minnows makes an interesting breed. So does shads and shiners. The price certainly is right. Did you know there is only one place in the U that raises Gambusia? In the Midwest, somewhere. = -- = - Charles - -does not play well with others -- = Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky 2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal |
Bog gardens
C wrote:
= 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 a= nd 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 hav= e 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 summ= ers 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 imagin= e frogs and garter snakes may show up. Does anyone have any experience or info to share with me? thanks frank = I would recommend finding a good book on bog gardening. For some reaso= n, straight topsoil doesn't seem too bog-like. You may wish to incorporat= e some peat. Peat comes from bogs. = I would stay away from horsetail (equisetum) since it is very invasive = and may take over the entire area. A 10' diameter "bog" is not that much space. It's not that bad. -- = Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky 2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal |
Bog gardens
The Montreal Botanical Garden has an excellent bog section. You
might want to contact the Garden. The English version of its Web site is http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin/en/menu.htm. I have two photographs of the bog section at http://www.rossde.com/Canada_trip/ph...l_garden1.html. -- David E. Ross http://www.rossde.com/ I use Mozilla as my Web browser because I want a browser that complies with Web standards. See http://www.mozilla.org/. |
Bog gardens
Charles wrote:
= 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 an= d refilling with about 6 inches of topsoil. I have a natural slope to m= y yard so keeping it wet shouldn't be a major problem for me. I would like t= o create as much a natural environment as possible with cattail, bulrush= es, 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 no= rth 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 gar= ter snakes may show up. Does anyone have any experience or info to share with me? thanks frank = I would be wary of the cattails and horsetail, both can be very invasive. If I were doing it I would include iris, but not pseudoacorous, it gets out of hand as well. Amen on all points. = If you fill it enough to have standing water all the time I would add some mosquito fish, Gambusia affinis. I know some pond folks who have tried native minnows in ditches along with a small number of aquarium fish. Green fan-tailed molly with minnows makes an interesting breed. So does shads and shiners. The price certainly is right. Did you know there is only one place in the U that raises Gambusia? In the Midwest, somewhere. = -- = - Charles - -does not play well with others -- = Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky 2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal |
Bog gardens
C wrote:
= 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 a= nd 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 hav= e 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 summ= ers 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 imagin= e frogs and garter snakes may show up. Does anyone have any experience or info to share with me? thanks frank = I would recommend finding a good book on bog gardening. For some reaso= n, straight topsoil doesn't seem too bog-like. You may wish to incorporat= e some peat. Peat comes from bogs. = I would stay away from horsetail (equisetum) since it is very invasive = and may take over the entire area. A 10' diameter "bog" is not that much space. It's not that bad. -- = Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky 2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal |
Bog gardens
The Montreal Botanical Garden has an excellent bog section. You
might want to contact the Garden. The English version of its Web site is http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin/en/menu.htm. I have two photographs of the bog section at http://www.rossde.com/Canada_trip/ph...l_garden1.html. -- David E. Ross http://www.rossde.com/ I use Mozilla as my Web browser because I want a browser that complies with Web standards. See http://www.mozilla.org/. |
Bog gardens
I've built 2 and volunteered on a third. I have some .pdf's I can send
you and a 6 page "how to" via fax. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/bogs.html http://www.plantideas.com/bog/index.html http://www.pitcherplant.com/bog_making.html http://www.nelsonwatergardens.com/iwant.html#28 - my local source among many others like Harris County Flood Control J. Kolenovsky http://www.celestialhabitats.com - got pics on the one I built in my yard here and at http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden FrankS wrote: = I'm thinking of creating a bog garden this year but haven't been able t= o 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, bulrushe= s, 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 nor= th of zone 4 so winters are long and brutal while the summers can be hot as h= ell. 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 gart= er snakes may show up. = Does anyone have any experience or info to share with me? = thanks frank -- = Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky 2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal |
Bog gardens
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. |
Bog gardens
Xref: kermit rec.gardens:262495
Wow, that's a nice pond! Yeah, rec.ponds. I forgot about them. Thanks. Phisherman wrote: = 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 an= d refilling with about 6 inches of topsoil. I have a natural slope to m= y yard so keeping it wet shouldn't be a major problem for me. I would like t= o create as much a natural environment as possible with cattail, bulrush= es, 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 no= rth 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 gar= ter 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. -- = Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky 2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal |
Bog gardens
I was thinking of doing the same thing this year, but my bog is reserved for
lotus. I have successfully germinated ten seeds of 'Baby Doll' and I have many of them outside in the pond waiting to be divided up. I think they will do much better directly in soil in a bog. There will be standing water in mine, so I will make sure mosquito dunks will always be present. I do have a pond now which has to be made larger. The one inch comets are now about 12 inches long and beefy! I am going to build them a larger pond than they have now. Around that pond I will plant nothing but horsetail in the soil, but that's only because it will be raised and in no way in touch with any other part of my gardens. I also have miniature cat tails and star grass, which smells divine. Sagittaria is also beautiful. On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 17:11:44 -0600, "FrankS" opined: 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 |
Bog gardens
I was thinking of doing the same thing this year, but my bog is reserved for
lotus. I have successfully germinated ten seeds of 'Baby Doll' and I have many of them outside in the pond waiting to be divided up. I think they will do much better directly in soil in a bog. There will be standing water in mine, so I will make sure mosquito dunks will always be present. I do have a pond now which has to be made larger. The one inch comets are now about 12 inches long and beefy! I am going to build them a larger pond than they have now. Around that pond I will plant nothing but horsetail in the soil, but that's only because it will be raised and in no way in touch with any other part of my gardens. I also have miniature cat tails and star grass, which smells divine. Sagittaria is also beautiful. On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 17:11:44 -0600, "FrankS" opined: 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 |
Bog gardens
I would recommend finding a good book on bog gardening. For some reason, straight topsoil doesn't seem too bog-like. You may wish to incorporate some peat. Peat comes from bogs. I would stay away from horsetail (equisetum) since it is very invasive and may take over the entire area. A 10' diameter "bog" is not that much space. It's not that bad. In my & everyone else I knows experience horsetails are EXTREMELY INVANSIVE and almost impossible to erradicate once present. Weedkiller resistent & tiny fragments will grow. Use of peat is very dubious on environmental grounds; should you be destroyinging a natural bog to create an artificial one? You can very successfully use composted bark for example. The are good books on bog gardening. Try Amazon, bibliofind or abebooks. Harvey |
Bog gardens
A 10' bog is not that bad. Horsetail it taboo.
Harvey wrote: = I would recommend finding a good book on bog gardening. For some rea= son, straight topsoil doesn't seem too bog-like. You may wish to incorpor= ate some peat. Peat comes from bogs. I would stay away from horsetail (equisetum) since it is very invasiv= e and may take over the entire area. A 10' diameter "bog" is not that much= space. It's not that bad. = In my & everyone else I knows experience horsetails are EXTREMELY INVAN= SIVE and almost impossible to erradicate once present. Weedkiller resistent = & tiny fragments will grow. Use of peat is very dubious on environmental grounds; should you be destroyinging a natural bog to create an artificial one? You can very successfully use composted bark for example. = The are good books on bog gardening. Try Amazon, bibliofind or abebooks= =2E = Harvey -- = Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky 2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal |
Bog gardens
The message
from "FrankS" contains these words: 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? Well, none very relevant to "brutal winters", but my attempt is an example of making a virtue of necessity, planting for local conditions, and as low maintenance as possible. I started a bog garden last year in the wettest part of the garden, a curve-edged space about 15 yards by 10, lying between the boundary and the driveway. It's on a slight slope below a hillside,and seems to be above a natural spring; so surface water soaks through it all year round. We have high rainfall (70" per year) and a mild maritime climate, no hot dry summers, windy and salty in winter but no prolonged hard freezes. The soil is fertile and acid. The wettest end is in sun all day (when we have any) and the drier top end is shaded after noon by next-door's rhododendron bank. It can catch the wind so I've chosen a lot of plants with narrow leaves. The bog-garden was previously a drowning swampy lawn (feet could sink into it even in summer) in which the previous owner had built two miserable raised island beds like graves. Unaccountably she filled her "dry" islands with neat peat, so the miniature conifers she stuck in were still wet, starving and miserable. I moved the conifers and broke down the stone walls. At the bottom end of the bog I dug out all the soil, put in a membrane flood-barrier to stop water draining out, and put the soil back mixed with the peat, so it's even wetter than before. The lawn was covered in cardboard sheets, grasscuttings, seaweed and rotted horse manure, excluding all light. Under the damp wetness, many worms moved in to feed and the turf first died, then disappeared within a couple of months. The surface will be mulched annually with similar materials,to feed the soil and keep weeds to a minimum. At the soggiest, wettest end I've planted variegated bulrush (supposed to be less invasive than the green one),lysichiton, rodgersia, lobelia (cardinalis?) and patches of wild yellow iris and primula florindae. Further back towards the boundary, are gunnera manicata. In the next bit, slightly less saturated, is a big swathe of pampas grasses. Pampas may seem a funny choice for a bog but I've noticed they really enjoy waterlogged soil down at sealevel here; I want them to make a BIG screen between us and our nice neighbours (without hurting feelings) and be a foliage contrast against the gunneras while sheltering them from wind. Then comes a patch of purple drumstick primulas in front of a spiky-leaf patch of daylilies, iris and montbretia, all of which like wet ditches; and a purple phormium, which grows to giant proportions with its feet in a pond near here. Beside that is a baby Royal fern. At the top end the soil is merely damp(rain never stands on the surface) and has mahonia Charity, red tree peony, and a couple of pieris which were already there and a stewartia pseudocamellia. Janet (Isle of Arran, West Scotland) |
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