help with Bog garden start

12 years ago

I am not planning a big bog garden, just a few natives that the butterflies like...My plan is to use a pond shell 4-5'x 3' x 18"......poke holes in sides, not bottom...problem is this..area already floods naturally in the summer rains, but during the spring it dries out alot...my water source is well water which is naturally high PH and Hardness...I have a softner, so I could pull from that side for softness, but what do I do about the PH? I'm planning on planting mostly redroot, (Lachnanthes caroliana, Haemodoraceae)..The butterflies love it..the majority will be just this...but I may want to add others in the future...So as you see not such a traditional bog really....any suggestions..I'd know rain water is best...but Spring is when there is no rain here....thats my dilema...Summer and fall take care of themselves really... janine

Comment (1)

s8us89ds
11 years ago
If you have a plastic liner buried in the ground, even with a few holes poked in it, your Central Florida rainfall should provide all the moisture you need for your bog - all year round! If you're thinking about watering it with a hose or an irrigating pipe, don't bother. With the liner trapping the water in the soil (like a container with no hole at the bottom), it gets very soggy and mushy very quickly - and stays that way for longer than you can imagine! The only place for the water to go is to evaporate from the surface, which is absurdly slow, or to get sucked up into plant roots. You'll have some naturally dry times in the year when the soil dries out, but your bog plants should be able to handle that. In fact, some will do better with that kind of seasonal drying out, as they've adapted to nature's cycle.
Related Professionals
Washington Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Bell Gardens Landscape Contractors · Columbine Landscape Contractors · Fort Atkinson Landscape Contractors · Lees Summit Landscape Contractors · Merced Landscape Contractors · Kingsburg Landscape Contractors · Arlington Roofing & Gutters · Edison Roofing & Gutters · Portland Roofing & Gutters · Gurnee Siding & Exteriors · Honolulu Siding & Exteriors · Malden Siding & Exteriors · Riverside Siding & Exteriors · Waukegan Siding & Exteriors