Bog garden

I've posted this msg. on the garden.rec news group and the gardeners are
giving me some very good info. Now I was wondering if you ponders may have
experience or info to share? I'm also a ponder but this bog will be seperate
from my pond.

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

Hi Frank,

I have a bog. The frog bog.
One thing about my bog is that it grew like crazy!
Filled all the way in five years. I had my teenagers weed it this fall.

I built mine so it would have standing water so I could have aquatic insects
(except mosquitoes - use dunks for those) and frog eggs. No snakes but never
see them with two labradors in the yard.

I threw all sorts of plants in there. Everything grew and thrived. The neatest
plant showed up on its own, probably through bird business, a bladderwort - so
much fun IDing it and learning about it.

My daughter and I drag thru small fish nets once and a while and then ID the
insect larvae we find. Lots of snails grow in there too.

Mine is about 10 by 10 and 10 inches deep. We fill it part way with larger
river rock (would have used gravel instead) With all the plant matter that
falls in and fertilizes it I've never had an algae bloom in the water, too many
plants I expect and no fish.
ka30p
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html