Date: Fri, 04 Jun 1999 13:19:20 -0600 From: "John Green" <HPJGREEN@ihc.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2001$foo@default> Subject: Re: Outdoor bogs
I found Rich Ellis' Colorado bog report interesting, particularly since
I'm in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is about 500 miles west of Denver and
experiences similar conditions (ie. very low humidity and rainfall in
the summer, and very cold and snowy in the winter). Last year I planted
a small bog outside, too, but much more simple than Rich's bog. Mine is
simply a hole dug in the ground, about 3' x 3' and maybe a foot and a
half at the deepest, and lined with a black plastic garbage bag and
filled with a 1:1 mix of peat/white silica sand. I placed mine at the
bottom of the rain gutter, though, and it's located at the SW corner of
the house, which is brick and should help to keep the plants a bit
warmer in the winter. There are a few iris' planted around it, too, to
provide a bit of a wind break. I have it planted only with S. oreo,
which are supposed to be among the most hardy of the Sarrs. I uncovered
mine around the end of February (I used straw, too) and while they were
a bit slow at first (probably due to the cool spring) they're all up and
looking better than ever, although no flowers. With the position under
the rain gutter I don't expect to have to supplement much water, even
when the summer temps reach 100 F. I've found a few snails near the
plants but they don't appear to have bothered the plants at all. It was
encouraging to hear that Rich had success with other Sarrs and a VFT, so
maybe I'll add some others to the bog this year.
John Green
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