Bog Gardens | A Beautiful, Creative Solution for Watery Spaces
September 17, 2020 2022-10-12 17:08Bog Gardens | A Beautiful, Creative Solution for Watery Spaces

Bog Gardens | A Beautiful, Creative Solution for Watery Spaces
To many, a waterlogged area of a property is an inconvenience or eyesore. In most cases, poor draining soil in small areas can be corrected by amending the soil or other economical means.
But what can a homeowner do with larger soggy areas? Creating a bog garden can turn this underutilized space into a beautiful garden and a much-needed sanctuary for certain types of wildlife and beneficial insects, including frogs, newts, butterflies and dragonflies.
When creating a bog garden, keep in mind that the area should not have free-standing water. Most bog plants can handle moist conditions, but will not survive for a prolonged period in standing water.
If you do not have a saturated area for your proposed garden, you can create one artificially (digging deep 15-20 inches) by utilizing a perforated pond liner, add gravel on top of the liner for drainage, then bury a soaker hose in the soil to keep it consistently moist.
Here are a few plants that prefer moist soil to consider for your bog garden:
Common Name: Botanical Name: Hardiness Zones:
Bottlebrush Sedge Carex comosa 3-8
Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis 4-8
Canna Lily Cannas 8-10
Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis 4-9
Common Arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia 3-9
Dwarf Bullrush Typha minima 3-10
Elephant Ears Colocasia 10-11
Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica 3-9
Jack In The Pulpit Arisaema triphyllum 3-9
Joe Pye Weed Eutrochium purpureum 3-8
Ligularia (Variegated) Farfugium japonicum 7-10
Marsh Marigold Caltha palustris 2-7
Northern Blue Flag Iris Iris versicolor 3-9
Prairie Blazing Star Liatris pycnostachya 3-9
Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata 3-9
Sweetspire Itea virginica 5-9
White Turtlehead Chelone glabra 3-8