Save
PrintMoist plants or muddy bog plants for your ‘bog garden’?:
Use the selection of plants on our moist and pond plant pages to plant your prepared ‘bog garden area’ but be aware that moist plants can handle less moisture than wet ‘bog’ plant species.
Plants for moist soil 
: these require drained, moist soil not wet.
This is especially important in Winter as moist plants of a crown type will rot if sat in waterlogged soil during their dormant period in Winter. These want a drained, moist situation.
ie. Aruncus , Astilbe, Darmera, Eupatorium, Filipendula, Iris ensata, Iris sibirica, Ligularia, Lychnis, Candelabra Primula, Rodgersia, Succissa, Trollius species etc.
-
- moist planting in damp soil around a linered pond
Plants for areas with permanently wet mud (waterlogged in winter) 
:
The definition of wet mud – if you dig a hole to a spades depth and it fills with water then the plants’ roots will be sat in water and the soil is wet/waterlogged. Wet soil needs to be planted with plants listed as .
These are specific pond plants that are capable of having their roots in water but their crowns exposed on the mud surface.
ie. Anemopsis californica, Caltha, Carex, Eriophorum species, Iris pseudacorus & versicolor, Juncus, Lythrum salicaria, Mentha cervina etc.
-
- stream with boggy waterlogged planting along its edge
Plants for the moist or bog area can be chosen for a shaded site or a sunny one.
-
- A pond designed for wildlife with shallow sides and plant cover around the outside of the water
Prepared collections available for each soil condition:
To make the planting of this area easier for you we have put together 4 planting schemes:
1. There are two collections for moist soil that does not waterlog – one in British Native plants and one in non Native plants.
2. There are also two collections for waterlogged wet mud (called Muddy Bog) – one in British Native plants and one in Non Native – plants.
-
- bog and moist plants at different ends of the same garden area
At the RH end of this bog garden standing water collects so shelf pond plants are growing but the LH end of this area is higher and is drained with moist soil so is planted with moist loving plants listed as . The 2 types of planting can live side by side – your choice is dictated by the water condition in each planting zone.
Media interest in Bog gardens
In the Great Garden Revival Thursday 9th January 2014 Charlie Dimmock built a pond with a planted wildlife zone enclosed within the pond water area. For this you must fill the planting area with aquatic compost and use plants from the shelf category that will accept their feet and crowns in water ie shallow depth pond plants capable of surviving with their crowns open to frost whilst their roots are in water not moist plants as the latter will not survive with water permanently around their crowns.
Joe Swift covered Bog Gardens in the Great Garden Revival of 20th January 2015. He featured plants from both the and 
plant ranges to provide the right plants for different bog garden areas. Iris ensata and Astilbe species filmed at Marwood Hall are both and will not survive with their crowns or roots in water in Winter.
Save
Go back to the previous step