Plant Your Own Bog Garden

If out of the ordinary is what you’re looking for, look no further than bog gardens and the endless list of quirky, offbeat plants.

- Madison Moulton

The key characteristic of these gardens is overly moist, waterlogged soil that creates the perfect conditions for a specific subset of plants – looking mostly unfamiliar and sometimes quite peculiar – that are not commonly found in standard backyards. Bog gardens are usually found in low-lying areas near lakes and rivers, but one-of-a-kind bog garden plants can be easily grown in almost any climate and any garden by following a few simple steps, giving you an even greater selection of plants to choose from.

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK

Bog gardens are best planted during the warmer summer months to give the plants enough time to settle in before winter. That pesky area of your garden that has terrible drainage and is constantly waterlogged is the perfect place to transform into a bog garden, but if you have managed to avoid that problem you can still create your own bog garden:

Mark an outline where you want your bog garden to be, ensuring it is in a sunny area (at least 5 hours a day) and away from shady trees.

Dig a hole 30 – 60cm deep and line it with a pond liner. Poke holes around the perimeter of the bog, 15 – 20cm from the top. This will allow the top layer to dry out more and allow the bottom part of the bog to act as a reservoir. Although bog plants love water they can’t be left standing in water, like all plants, so these drainage holes are vital.

Fill the hole again with a mixture of the original soil and compost or potting soil to a 50:50 ratio. The deeper parts of the bog could even be filled with rubble or gravel to act as a reservoir.

Trim the remaining liner, leaving a small amount to allow for the bog garden to settle. This can be covered later with rocks or mulch.

Keep the soil well-watered for a week to establish the bog conditions.