Even though I still have a decent covering of snow on the ground here in Michigan at zone 5 I am plotting and planning for a carnivorous bog garden I would like to install this spring. I would like to outline my plan and intended plants and see if anyone else (especially if you are a zone 5 Michigander) to critique or offer suggestions as to improvements and the feasibilities of the plan.
While I am not sure of the final dimensions of the bog I was hoping to have it be at least 2ft wide by 3ft long (although the exact dimensions will depend on how much liner is still leftover from a pond installed last summer). I was think maybe 18 inches deep, I would like it deep enough to be a better water reserve for summers and less likely to up and croak when we get a dry spell. What depth seems to work well for you if you have a bog in a similar climate as me?
I saw one recommendation of putting buckets or plastic storage containers upside down in the bottom to reduce the amount of peat/sand soil mix to fill the hole with and it was supposed to help retain water too. Anyone else try this before and does it actually help store water? Or just make a mess? I also planned on having the bottom layered with some straight sand for drainage as well too. I don’t plan on putting any holes in the bottom or sides initially and instead would watch and see if it needs them later.
Plants which I found are supposed to be native to Michigan and I would like to include in the bog are:
Sarracenia purpurea
Pinguicula vulgaris
Drosera rotundifolia
And/or
Drosera intermedia
Drosera angelica
Depending on what I can get a hold of.
I would love to have more types of sarracenia but wondered if any of the hybrids with purpurea had a higher tolerance for the cold which could overwinter outside in zone 5? I also thought that now would be a good time to decide which Drosera species would be better suited and perhaps easier to obtain. I hoped maybe I could try to find some Drosera seeds and have time to stratify them for them to start germinating in the spring so I would have a decent amount of plants and be able to have a well planted bog instead of a scantily planted expanse of open soil with a small number of sad little plant islands in between.
All righty, I guess after this load of rambling and questions I should sum up the overall thread topics:
Does my construction plan sound ok? Any additional tips you discovered when constructing your bog? I want this to be low cost, low maintenance.
Finally about plant choice; are they appropriate or am I overlooking an ideal plant? I would love suggestions or comments, I have plenty of time before spring so I figured all the better for me to plan and maybe get it right and avoid later headaches.
Thanks for sticking it through to the end of this ramble and looking forward to your comments and suggestions.
~Evin
While I am not sure of the final dimensions of the bog I was hoping to have it be at least 2ft wide by 3ft long (although the exact dimensions will depend on how much liner is still leftover from a pond installed last summer). I was think maybe 18 inches deep, I would like it deep enough to be a better water reserve for summers and less likely to up and croak when we get a dry spell. What depth seems to work well for you if you have a bog in a similar climate as me?
I saw one recommendation of putting buckets or plastic storage containers upside down in the bottom to reduce the amount of peat/sand soil mix to fill the hole with and it was supposed to help retain water too. Anyone else try this before and does it actually help store water? Or just make a mess? I also planned on having the bottom layered with some straight sand for drainage as well too. I don’t plan on putting any holes in the bottom or sides initially and instead would watch and see if it needs them later.
Plants which I found are supposed to be native to Michigan and I would like to include in the bog are:
Sarracenia purpurea
Pinguicula vulgaris
Drosera rotundifolia
And/or
Drosera intermedia
Drosera angelica
Depending on what I can get a hold of.
I would love to have more types of sarracenia but wondered if any of the hybrids with purpurea had a higher tolerance for the cold which could overwinter outside in zone 5? I also thought that now would be a good time to decide which Drosera species would be better suited and perhaps easier to obtain. I hoped maybe I could try to find some Drosera seeds and have time to stratify them for them to start germinating in the spring so I would have a decent amount of plants and be able to have a well planted bog instead of a scantily planted expanse of open soil with a small number of sad little plant islands in between.
All righty, I guess after this load of rambling and questions I should sum up the overall thread topics:
Does my construction plan sound ok? Any additional tips you discovered when constructing your bog? I want this to be low cost, low maintenance.
Finally about plant choice; are they appropriate or am I overlooking an ideal plant? I would love suggestions or comments, I have plenty of time before spring so I figured all the better for me to plan and maybe get it right and avoid later headaches.
Thanks for sticking it through to the end of this ramble and looking forward to your comments and suggestions.
~Evin