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New, large bog garden coming.

Hey,
I'm about to re-landscape my back yard, and am going to install a bog garden as part of a water feature. I intend to grow Sarras, Darlingtonia, vfts, and hardy drosera.

Here are the condiderations:
1) First issue, water. I've tested my tap water, and found to my pleasant suprise that the TDS are about 112ppm. This is borderline, but it would be SOOO much easier to have it automatically watered through my normal water lines. What do people think about this purity of water for this purpose?

2) Drainage - I thought about using Bugweed's "recirculating technology" for the bog sections, where the water runs through the bog and back into the pond/waterfall that are going there. It might be eaiser, however, to just let them be discreet units that jare watered with fresh tap water. If I recirulated the water, it would probably be best to use R/O filtered water in the whole pond/waterfall, but if I keep the bog seperate I could use regular tap water, since it won't concentrate solids when it's always new water running through. Which sounds better?

Capslock
 
I don't have an answer to your question Caps, but when you decide and get it built I would love to see pictures. I want to do a water feature with a waterfall and pond type thing with a bog section to it too. So all your input would be great. Thanks!!
 
I also don't have any answers Capslock, but I want to say what a cool idea that is! Have any idea how big it will end up being?
 
If this were my project, I'd leave things open ended. Connect your gutters to the bog to maximize the water shed into it. Have a spillway from the bog to the rest of your water feature. That way, you'll have the least amount of effort in keeping it all filled. If there's a dry stretch, you can supplement the bog with tap water, and in the event of a heavy rain, your bog will get a nice clean water flush. Beyond that, I'd get a little water purity test kit and take a sample every few weeks. Leave the spent water in the pond, at least for now - there's nothing to say you can't add more later, but until you know whether or not the pond water will be good for CPs, why bother? If you could get some nutrient-fixing associates going in the pond, you could probably clean the water quite a bit, like in those biological water filtration plants.
I have plans for a pond with a water-purifying waterfall feature - I can sketch it out when I have more time - but basically it circulates the water through water hyacinths and cattails growing in porous rock, and the mat of roots and bacterial cultures in the rocks purify your water. I wish I had my own place to do this kind of stuff! I was thinking about building a freestanding pond in storage bins on my porch but I don't know how well that would jibe with the neighbors.
~Joe
 
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