How to Make a Pond Bog
Making a bog garden next to your pond will give your pond a natural look and will make your pond look larger. It is easy to do, and the diversity of plants in a bog will bring greater interest to your landscape through a variety of textures, colors and patterns. Bogs are very low maintenance and can be successful in most USDA hardiness zones. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Wire screening or hardware cloth
- Plastic liner (8 mm)
- Utility knife
- Sand
- Peat moss
- Stones or edging material
- Bog plants
- Fertilizer tablets
Instructions
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1
Dig out a shallow area next to your pond about 12 to 36 inches deep to make a basin. Make the sides slightly sloping and the bottom flat or slightly pitched.
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2
If there are moles, gophers or other burrowing animals in your area, line the bottom and sides of the bog with a rust-resistant screen or galvanized hardware cloth. Leave at least 12 inches of excess around the rim. This can be trimmed or hidden with rocks or other edging materials later.
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3
Line the basin with a single, unbroken sheet of flexible liner over the screen. Cut a few slits in the liner every 12 inches to provide a little drainage.
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4
Put a 2- to 3-inch layer of sand on the bottom of the bog on top of the liner. Fill the remaining space up to 1 inch below the rim with a mixture of 1 part sand and 3 parts peat moss that has been mixed well and dampened.
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5
Cover the excess liner around the bog with stones or edging. At least some should be flat in order to make it easier to access your bog for planting and maintenance.
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6
Plant sunny bogs with plants such as irises, parrot feather, primrose, sweet flag, marsh marigolds, baby's breath or elephant's ear. Some plants that do better in shady bogs are water hyacinth, fairy moss, iris and calla lilies.
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7
Fertilize plants in your bog one to three times per year with fertilizing tablets.
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Tips & Warnings
Wait at least a week after filling the bog with soil before planting to allow the soil to settle, keeping the soil wet at all times.
Once plants are in, keep the bog swampy; constant saturation is not required, but do not let it dry out. You can bury a soaker hose 3 inches below the surface to facilitate watering.
Do not plant bog plants too closely together; follow the recommendations for specific plants.
Mulch your bog with a 6-inch layer of pine straw or oak leaves in late autumn and remove when temperatures rise above 32 degrees F.
Pinch off dead flowers and leaves as often as possible.
Do not allow soil from your bog to wash into your pond. This will foul the pond.
Do not use beach sand in your bog.
