Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 09:07:42 -0700 From: "John Green" <HPJGREEN@ihc.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg924$foo@default> Subject: Re: Bog gardens
>Anyone know of any URL pointing to a good site on how to build a CP
>friendly bog garden?
>I know it should be pretty straightforward, but I'd like to see what
other
>people have done before I build my own.
Hi Miguel,
I've intended to set up a web site to show the progress on my new
outdoor bog but haven't gotten around to it yet. I live in Salt Lake
City, Utah, in the USA. The weather is quite different from the native
habitat of CPs so I have to make a few adjustments. It's pretty dry
here; low rainfall and very low humidity (down under 20% rh in the
summer). It also gets very hot in the summer (around 100 F / 37-38 C)
and very cold in the winter (around -15 F / -10 C). Basically, it's
mountain desert conditions. I grow mostly Sarracenia, Drosera, and
VFTs.
My first outdoor bog was simply a hole I dug and lined with black
plastic and filled with a peat/sand mix. I grew only S. oreophila,
which is very cold hardy, and they did very well. This spring I've
replaced that "hole-in-the-ground" with a nice hard black plastic pond
form. The pond form has two depths, 9 inches in the low end and 18
inches in the deep end. I've located it in the same exact place. Since
we don't get much rain I put it under a downspout from the rain gutter
that runs around the house. That way, every time it rains it gets a
good amount of water even if actual rainfall was only a trace. It also
minimizes the chances I'll have to supplement it with tap water if it
gets really dry in the summer (the 18 inch depth will help with that,
too, I hope). It's also up against the south side of the house so it
gets very good sun exposure in the summer, and is protected somewhat
from hot winds. Being close to the house (which is brick) I imagine
also helps in the winter, and keeps it a bit warmer. I have to mulch it
over winter to protect it, and we usually get quite a bit of snow cover,
which probably helps to moderate the soil temperatures. In the past
I've used straw as a mulch, but it encourages moldy conditions, so in
the future I'll use pine needles. As for the humidity, I have a nice
healthy lawn and garden, which I believe helps to keep the local
humidity a bit higher, but the plants seem to do well enough anyway.
The soil mix is still mostly peat/sand but I've also added chopped pine
needles and perilite. The perilite was a huge mistake since it floats
but I ran out of sand and needed something. I've also found that I have
to put a few holes in the pond form to allow it to drain after it rains.
The sand I used was white silica quartz (the kind used for
sandblasting) which was under $5 for a 100lb bag.
As soon as it warms up enough I'll be transferring about half of my
collection to the bog. Previously I've grown them together in long
window-box type pots, bringing them inside for the winter and hauling
them back outside for the summer. I find that the plants do far better
when grown outside. In addition to the S. oreophilla that I currently
have outside, I'll be adding S. flava, S. leucophylla, S. purpurea (both
ssp), S. rubra (gulfensis, wherryii, jonesii, rubra), S. alata (maybe?),
D. intermedia, D. anglica, D. filiformis, P. vulgaris, and some VFTs. I
think I'll also try some South American utrics that I've never been able
to grow well inside. If they don't survive it won't be such a loss
because they're not doing anything for me now, and if they do well I'll
take some starts for the next year. The only non-CP plant I have in
there right now is Japanese Blood Grass, which does very well. I don't
know how well some of the Sarrs will survive, but I've heard from Rich
Ellis in Colorado (just east of Utah), which is also mountainous and
cold, and he's done pretty well with most of them.
As for pests, I've never had any problems. My kids know not to bother
the plants, and even their annoying little friends next door don't touch
them. There are no squirrels in my neighborhood (I probably wouldn't
mind a few) and the birds have never bothered the plants. Cats don't
seem to like the soggy soil either. Amazingly, slugs and snails haven't
even been a problem although they do like to crawl onto the cool, wet
peat and sit there (they end up being thrown into the street -
appologies to any snail rights activists).
I've also tried to grow as many plants together as possible, but only
in plastic pots. It's a lot easier maintenance and I figure it's fairly
similar to their natural conditions anyway. I know this topic has been
covered on the list a few times recently, but I'll post it anyway since
many people complain about off-list postings. I hope my experiences
help you some. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions or comments.
John Green
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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