starting a bog garden

[gardenmad]

Hi, everyone, can anyone tell me if it is feasible to fill in a 4ft deep, 15 ft long, pond by spreading carpet on the bottom, and then piling in old stones, bricks and pieces of boulder and concrete I want to be rid of, then soil and sand till it is about 18in deep in places, shallower in others, so I can plant bog plants in it?   I am fed up with it, we have two other ones so the frogs and newts and toads would not be deprived.....


Gardenmad

[Maggi Young]

Hmmm........ sounds like a big job.  I'm not sure I get how you plan to do this. Why is the carpet on the bottom? Just to get rid of it?

I'll show this to Ian tomorrow and see what he thinks - he might have some cunning plan to tackle such a task ......

[gardenmad]

Hi, Maggie, 'we' are watching the golf, which is why 'I' am browsing: the other half of 'we' is asleep -   the carpet is there because the pond has a butyl liner which I realise I have to pierce here and there, but do not want the blocks of concrete etc - which I do want rid of,  to tear it all to bits or all the water will drain away and I will have a dry garden, and I want a SWAMP!!   I want to be able to grow all those gorgeous candelabra primroses I see here and there and I need damp ground - all I have is Oxford Clay - rock hard most of the time, and stiff sludge the other half, although over the years I have lightened it a lot with our compost.   Thanks for any help....

[Maggi Young]

See - I knew there must be a sensible reason I just didn't get!
My other half has been in bed asleep for some time- he needs his beauty sleep before an early start tomorrow for the Grand Prix and then the Amstel Gold cycle race - busy TV Sunday in the Young household!

[Graham Catlow]

I remembered Paul Cumbleton posting the making of a bog garden in his Wisley Alpine logs. Here is a link if it helps.
The second link is 12 months later.

http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2009Mar261238082370Log_7_of_2009.pdf
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2010Jul081278585724Log_13_of_2010.pdf

[Maggi Young]

Super, Graham -well remembered!

[fredg]

By all means use the concrete etc to fill in but I do think you need a liner above the fill layer. Bog plants, particularly carnivorous types require an acidic medium.

[gardenmad]

Maggi, Graham, Fred, thank you very much for your info - I can see I shall have to spend more time than I have at the moment - still watching golf - small yawn - to read the links you kindly remembered Graham - I am not going to grow insectivorous plants, just want to grow a grove of primulas.   Thank God someone has won, we can now go to bed!!   Can't wait until tomorrow, to get started....thanks very much once again.
 

[fredg]

I am not going to grow insectivorous plants, just want to grow a grove of primulas.   

..... and maybe a few Pinguicula here and some native Drosera over here. Oh! wouldn't a Sarracenia look good there......

[gardenmad]

Oh Fred!! Don't encourage me!!   I have been to the vale of evesham today so no gardening done, but the nurseries!!   Nearly had to hire a trailer...   Tomorrow I shall start in earnest....Thanks to all.   

[Rogan]

Will this persuade you to grow some carnivorous plants (...and a few primulas, of course!)?   

[fredg]

Rogan that is just mean, I would never dream of doing something like that

[gardenmad]

Goodness, that looks wonderful - it looks like a tractor tyre with a garden in it - if this is so, I can see endless variations on that!   My goodness, I have so many projects, I shall have to live to a hundred.   Thank you for that contribution, I am greatly encouraged..... 

[gardenmad]

Ok, Fred and Rogan, I give up!   What are they?   I am on Oxford Clay here, can't grow any plant that doesn't like an alkaline soil - at first I thought your bed had roscoeas, but on closer examination -    Then your pictures, Fred - I know nothing of our native insectivorous or any other plants that like acid soil, well not boggy ones, anyhow, so those two left me bewildered - is the lower one a fritillary? - and the top one insectivorous?

[fredg]

Rogan is showing you several species of Sarracenia and a nice clump of Pinguicula. The North American Sarracenia are all hardy in the UK. I'm not sure which Pinguicula it is but there are several temperate species we can use here.
Mine is again a North American, Darlingtonia californica leaf and flower, that is also hardy.

After you've checked out the hundreds of carnivorous plants you then need to check out the hardy terrestrial bog orchids.