I took a look at the specs for bend a board and am not sure that it will support a liner with bog "soil". Can you clarify, are you trying to build an above ground bog? If not I see no need for the extra framing.

My bog is 4ft X 6ft and 18 inches deep. In 2000 I moved. I dismantled the bog amd moved the entire garden, soil and all, it weighed close to 800 lbs. Here's a photo of my bog as it looked in June 2003 (I need to upload a more recent photo!). By the way thanks for the link to other CP bog gardeners!
{{gwi:428443}}

Here is a link that might be useful: bend a board spec sheet

Hey, Fred
So, what am I trying to do? As usual, making my life way more complicated than necessary.
I want to make a bog that sits adjacent to a small pond. I was going to use the bend-a-board to make a nice clean level edge between the bog and the pond. Basically I was trying to emulate the setup on that website that I linked to. The frame for the pond and bog would be built so that the upper edge sits right at ground level, then a liner draped over the whole thing. The bend-a-board frame really is a way to make it all level - more important for the pond than the bog, really. Otherwise it would be the usual hole-in-the-ground construction.
Love that photo - I aspire to have a bog as natural looking as yours someday. I bought some plants last year, but bog construction came to a screeching halt and all the plants are still in pots (now in the garage) - three Sarracenia species, Calopogon and Platanthera.
I hope to get the bog built this year. My wife isn't too happy about the hole in the yard.

Ok, I see what you're trying to do, and don't you hate it when you can picture just what you want but don't quite know if you can make it happen?? The bog has been established since 1998 (and moved with us in 2000). I too have a large hole in the ground (2 holes actually) waiting to become ponds with a stream between. the funds (and energy) ran out before the project was complete, 2005 is a new season!

Have you thought about using some of our good old Ohio heavy clay as your frame? or did you want a frame all around? the clay will be very stable under the liner with the weight of the water and bog material holding it in place.

Las question, which Platanthera species do you have? I have a P. ciliaris and integrilabia. I also have Calopogon and Spiranthes. By all means when you get the bog in get some Venus Fly Traps, They are perfectly hardy here. Then visit botanique, they've got great plants for a bog. Please keep me posted on your progress and your resolution to this issue!

Fred

Here is a link that might be useful: Botanique

I was hoping to rim the entire pond and bog with the bend-a-board, but the bog part would probably be unnecessary. We'll just have to see how this all plays out in the spring.
I have only P. ciliaris. I bought those from Gardens of the Blue Ridge. They are good people. I also bought some puttyroot orchids from them. I in fact did buy the carnivores from Botanique. I am extremely pleased with that operation, also. I bought some Drosera that did not survive, but that was my fault, I think. I will definitely get some flytraps, and I think I want to get some of those neon hybrid pitcher plants.
Do you have live sphagnum in your bog? I have seen some negative comments about it suffocating other plants, but it looks so cool.

I do have live sphagnum, it doesn't suffocate my plants the cranberries do that job rather well as do the Sarracenia purpurea which have grown from the small plants you can see in the photo to almost 2 ft in diameter! Sphagnum can be a wonderful thing if you're growing orchids, Pogonia, Arethusa and a number of others live in the sphagnum naturally. Plants like Drosera learn to deal with the moss by reseeding as the Sphagnum grows.

There are a fair number of nice bogs and fens in Ohio that you could visit and see the native species in situ, what part of the state are you located? Portage and Summit counties (Akron area) are probably the richest, but there are nice places to visit throughout the state.

Like the ponds I'm working on you'll find a way to complete your project just keep brainstorming.

I live in Cincinnati. I will have to seek out some natural bogs sometime when I am up north.
If Sarracenia purpurea get to be that big, how big should I make this bog, anyway? I was going for about the same size as yours ~ 4'x6'. I don't know if I have the will to make it any bigger. Plus there is that little pond that is supposed to be next to it. Whew.

4X6 is fine, I have 2 big Sarr. purps, as well as S. minor, S. alabamensis, S. psiticina, S. lutea, and several hybrids along with 3 Droseras, VFTs and the orchids. I am however thinking of putting another bog in. Once the initial back breaking work is done it's only a matter of collecting rain water.

I also looked in the directory of State preserves, and there is only one fen near you in Greene county. No CPs there though. It is the Travertine fen in Xenia. I have contact info if you're interested.

Thanks, I would appreciate the fen information.
I ordered the bend-a-board today, so I'll soon be trying in earnest to figure out how to go about this bog/pond construction. I ordered enough to do a double thickness around the perimeter. If it isn't going to work, I'll just use it to edge some beds in the yard.
By the way, I have Sarracenia flava and leucophylla, which you did not mention. Did I pick the wrong species?

I missed the S. flava, it is the tall one in the photo. I was told by several friends to go for the species/hybrids that produce the best pitchers in spring (like flava). Leucophylla produces its best in fall and as soon as we get one of those frigid Canadian air masses the pitchers will be killed. I will be getting that species but perhaps not for the bog garden.

Contact ODNR 614-265-6453 for a copy of the directory of state nature preserves. Well worth the $25. For the Travertine fen contact Greene county park district at 513-376-7440.

Please let me know how the bend a board works.

Hi,

I thought I posted this yesterday but it doesn't appear to be here. I'll try again.

First I'm the guy with the bog garden mention in the first email. I consider it quite a compliment that you like it enough to build one yourself. I couldn't help but laugh when I read about your wife. It was in the middle of the 'bubble' here in silicon valley and I was traveling all over the place. I'm a do-it-myselfer and there wasn't much time to build it. I think it was a hole in the ground for about 2 years and my wife was furious with me. She's calmed down now an loves it, but it was pretty rough there for a while.

I would recommend circling the bog and the pond with bender board. You don't want water coming in from the lawn with all the ferilizers etc if you have carnivorous plants. It makes a nice edge that is not too hard to hide. I don't know if you have seen the aquascape method of building a pond, but it is much more natural and easier to hide the liner than my method. The bender board is good for the bog though, plus it gives more area for pond, bog and plants and fish. Aquascape looks more natural, but the rocks take up a lot of space and it I don't know if I would give up the space for plants and fish.

I also used plastic edging to cap off the bender board in the bog. It worked well, but you have to screw it in. I used coated deck screws from OSH that look redish. They haven't rusted in the 3 or 4 years they have been there.

If you have any questions I'd be glad to answer any you might have!

Stephen
Stephen

Here is a link that might be useful: My bog garden and pond

Stephen,
What an honor to hear from the man who inspired me!
I do have some questions. Is the bender board that I have similar to what you used? I had to order it from Utah since it isn't available in the eastern US. I am not sure what I am going to use for stakes to anchor the board to.
What is the aquascape method? I haven't heard of it. I am still trying to figure out how to do the pond edge to make it look natural. The link below has some of the possibilities I am thinking about.
Thanks, Bob

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:428442}}

Bob,

Stakes are made from the bender board. The place I bought the boards from had them, but you could make your own. Have you checked Lowes and Home Depot by the way? It's not that uncommon out here.

If you go to Aquascapes.com it will fill you in. Basically they use a waterfall that doubles as a filter, and a decent skimmer. They use rocks all over the bottom and sides to make it look very natural. When I built my pond everyone said that it should be vertical sides and not rocks. Liner uncovered, except when it comes above the water where you make a rock necklace. I like the rock necklace effect in some circumstances, but I wanted something more natural I'm still working on it. :-)

I liked the link. Great ideas!
Stephen