Bog Garden Designs for the home garden, Landscaping designs
If you have a perpetually damp place in your yard that you’ve always considered a problem area, don’t despair. Whether it’s an area that doesn’t drain well, floods periodically, or borders a pond or stream, let that unique situation become an intriguing, one-of-a-kind garden spot (as well as a wonderful habitat for wildlife) by selecting plants that thrive in moist places. This plan will work best in a partly shaded area (at the edge of a woods, for example) but will also be fine in a sunnier place as long as the soil never dries out. Choose a site that remains moist but not soggy or flooded for extended periods. Before planting your new garden, decide where you should place a footpath of substantial flat stones that will facilitate gardening chores and leisurely strolls. Several of the varieties indicated here the Lysimachia, Monarda, and Tradescantia in particular will multiply rapidly and may need some reining in after a few seasons. In addition to the perennials and ornamental Grasses indicated in the plan, add a variety of Ferns and Hostas to your damp garden.
Helpful Hints
The bog garden is solution oriented.That low spot in your yard that is too wet to grow lawn can easily be transformed into an attractive perennial garden.
For best results, plant in a location of full to part sun where the soil never dries out
If you’re not fortunate enough to have a bog location, you can easily create one. Dig a shallow indentation in the ground, cover with plastic sheeting, poke drainage holes, and backfill.
Improve your bog soil by adding organic matter, such as compost and mulch, to the top four to six inches of soil.
a. Aruncus dioicus b. Astilbe ‘bridal veli’ c. Astilbe ‘ostrich plume’ d. Bergenia ‘red bloom’ e. Chelone obliqua f. Deschampsia ‘bronze veli’ g. Deschampsia ‘tautger’ h. Gallium odratum i. Iris ‘new hybrids’ j. Ligaularia ‘dark leaf’ k. Ligularia przewalskii l. Monarda marshels’s delight’ m. Phalaris ‘feesey’ n. Tradescantia virhiniana o. Trollius ‘gold queen’ p. Viola labradorica