How to Build a Bog Garden

A new bog garden

Our country is facing a rapidly escalating water crisis. Cities are rationing water and soon will impose water usage regulations. Other cities are in crisis mode already with only 90 days of water left. As gardeners, we must not misuse or waste any water, but use what comes from the sky and recycle it. Building a bog garden is a great way to conserve water and add another element to your garden. Any low spot in your garden is a great place for a bog garden. Perhaps it is a low spot where water collects after a rain. If there is such a place, plants that like wet feet would be happy there.

Things You'll Need

• For Above Sea Level Gardens:
• 45 mil EPDM Liner
• Shovel
• Pea Gravel for a French Drain
• Bog Plants

Instructions

Sea Level or Low Spot Bog Gardens

1. Install a bog garden in your yard If you have a low spot or a spot where water collects. This will give your garden a new look and conserve water at the same time.

2. Dig a shallow hole in your yard if you do not have a low spot but wish to have a bog garden anyway. If you are way above sea level, you can put a liner in a shallow hole you dig. Surround it with decorative rocks or other border to cover the liner.

3. Dig a trench eight inches wide from your downspouts to your new bog garden so the rain will collect there. This is called a French Drain and is used to direct rain water from your downspouts to your bog garden.

4. Fill your trench with pea gravel. You are now conserving water by using rain water to nourish plants and not letting it just travel right back to your town's water treatment plant

Planting your Bog Garden

1. Plant your bog garden with plant material that likes wet feet. No matter if you have a lined bog garden or are using a low spot in your garden, the planting is the same.

2. Put newspapers at the bottom of the low spot in your yard and mulch on top of it to keep weed growth down. Use 8 to 10 layers of newspapers. Lay the papers after you have planted. If you have a lined bog, do not use newspapers.

3. Pot up the bog plants in shallow pots and place them in the bog if you have bog made with a liner. If you are using a low spot in your yard, just plant the bog plants in the wet and muddy ground.

4. Use a bacterial mosquito repellent to keep mosquitoes away. They can be found in most every garden center in a blister pack and look like little donuts. Just use one donut every month to keep mosquitoes away.

5. Use plants that like wet feet in your bog. Some of the plants you might use are cyperus, papyrus, Louisiana iris, cattails. Try cannas and calla lilies. For more choices, check your local aquatic nursery.

Tips & Warnings

• Vary your plant palette to make your bog garden a showpiece in your yard. Mix a broadleaf canna with a strap leaf Louisiana Iris, add some sedges for an upright slender shape.

• Do not overplant your garden. Bog plants grow and spread quickly. By next you, you will be able to furnish your neighbor's bog garden.