Bog Garden

Your bog garden can be as simple or complex as you so desire.

It can be constructed using a preformed plastic pool or a heavy duty Firestone liner can be installed enabling you to create almost any shape.

A bog garden can even have a filter or will do quite well without one.

I chose to use a Firestone liner and said no thank you to a filtering system and so can you if you will add enough plants to cover seventy percent of the surface.

Plant material will help to eliminate algae growth and the water filtering through the root systems helps it to stay clean.

The garden can be created using one part peat to one part muck and then use this media to fill up to the top of your liner or preformed pool.

Or you may decide to do as I did which was to add both large rocks and gravel so my liner did not show and then fill with water.

I put my planting media and plants in various sized pots depending on the cultivar in question.

You could say that I have developed a miniature wetland and I find it extremely easy to keep clean.

The only season when I perform a few cleaning duties are during the fall when a few maples leaves find their way into my garden and other than that it remains nice and clean.

We have also enjoyed the little guests that have showed up to claim it as their residence and have noticed both frogs and turtles in and around the little pool.

For some great color in your garden, if in fact you have located it in partial shade, be sure to set some fancy leaf caladiums into your pool.

Best results are obtained if you will pot them in gallon nursery pots and then wait until your plants have developed a few leaves prior to setting them in four to five inches of water or planting them in a muck and peat mixture.

For plants that we recommend for your garden please see our list of selections at water garden plants.