The Souto rock/bog garden combination, that we installed in 2023, has begun to fill in nicely. If you haven’t seen it recently, our Fall Open Nursery and Garden is coming up September 18-20 & 25-27, 2026. Jeremy Schmidt and Patrick McMillan get the credit for the amazing design and installation.
Great to see! These require patience! How does it get water? Does it collect seep from uphill? Does it ever need supplemental water? Is soil amended with peat moss or other? What is the longest time it stays submerged after a rain event? Is there a list of plants available that are used in it?
Thanks much!
Tom
Allowing water to enter a bog garden is deadly to plants like Venus fly-traps, so we don’t allow any runoff…only rain and irrigation sprinklers. In this bog, we used 1/2 peat and 1/2 sand. I is designed to never submerge for more than a minute, due to an overflow drain on the lower end.W While most bog plants like damp soils, they don’t tolerate standing water for very long. For a list of plants that will grow in these conditions, go to the Plants by theme page at Plant Delights, and search for bog garden plants.
Thank you so much for all of the information! This tells me that a true bog garden is a truly complex ecosystem just like so many others! If you live where you can evolve one – enjoy it for your part of the world. From where I am in west Texas I can only admire it and be happy for you! Have fun!
Thanks again.
Tom