Getting Bogged Down

Our Bog garden through time





18 April 2008.
Digging out for the bog. Dug down about 18-20" then placed thick rubber pond liner given to us by some friends (thanks Tug and Jen!).







Mixing the sand and peat moss. Ever seen an armadillo at work? Fun playing human mix-master.









The previous "bog gardens". Chelsea had had these for several years in their galvanized tubs. While they are OK for a while it was hard to keep them watered well, plus they get crowded quick!









20 April 2008
Everything in their new home. Doesn't look like much yet, but we had high hopes it would fill out the next spring.

12 Oct 2008
Actually by that fall it was looking pretty good!










12 Oct 2008
Chelsea adding some S. leucophylla. Of course we continued to add to it as we were given more plants or purchased them. One of my favorite additions were a bunch of venus flytraps that I found in the clearance bin at Kroger (FLESH EATING plants!...marketed to kids obviously) for like $0.99 each. They have done fantastic. Probably just glad not to have died on some kid's windowsill.....











4 April 2009
The first spring after planting. At this point I realized that it took quite a bit of water to keep the bog happy through the summer. In a flash of brilliance I decided to reroute the air conditioner condensate drain so that it came out right at ground level behind the old heart pine log at the back. This worked out great and pretty much eliminated the need to add water.





17 April 2010
The start of year three and it really looks like a real bog. We have; Saracenea flava, S. leucophylla, S. psittacina, S. purpurea, S. rubra, and some other Saracenia hybrids, Dionaea muscipula, Utricularia subulata, Drosera filiformis (green), D. tracyi (red), D. capillaris, Spiranthes odorata, Pogonia ophioglossoides, Polygala nana, Helianthus angustifolius, Xyris sp., Rhexia sp., Ludwigia sp. etc.






We are on the waiting list for some Lilium catesbaei from the only nursery I could find that cultivates it. I would also like to get some Ctenium aromaticum. I tried some seed but it did not sprout. Chelsea wants some Pinguicula spp. too.









Special thanks to these friends for advice, plants, seeds, and encouragement: Tug Kesler, Jen Trusty, Heather Summer, Carol Denhof, and John McGuire.