Post by mbfmark on Feb 9, 2012 1:31:25 GMT
Hi Everyone,
I live in the extreme western tip of South Carolina in Zone 7. Last spring I FINALLY completed work on a bog garden that I have situated in a naturally wet location on my property. I scooped out some of the soil with my tractor to enhance the depression, plus hand dug a large, deep oval in the center of the area to intentionally be a permanent 'pond' and water reservoir. I then lined the perimeter of the area with weather resistant boards and added some typical builders plastic around the edge to help further contain the moisture in the area. The center area doesn't have plastic since the clay substrate in nearly impervious without it. I built up shorelines and 'islands' using crushed granite 'sand' from the local rock quarry, mixed with a little acidic organic matter.
Not far from my bog is a natural spring branch, so I created a siphon that produces a constant small steam of fresh, cool spring water into the bog, and allows the overflow to return to the branch at the far end. I kept a lot of open shallow water to accommodate the many frog species we have in the area (I love their chorus each summer night!). Occasionally I have to re-prime the siphon, so this year I'm going to create a more permanent gravity feed of spring water instead.
I had a stockpile of mature Sarracenia that had lived in pots for the last 7 years, since I moved them with me from Atlanta where I had a small bog garden. Each of these plants had gotten so large that I was able to divide them and plant a 'colony' of individual clones. Some were species, others hybrids that had occurred naturally in my Atlanta garden. To this I added some things purchased from a few of the online suppliers, and a large colony of S. jonesii I grew from seed that a fellow CP lover had given me a few years back. Then added most of the temperate North American sundew species and a cell tray full of tissue cultured VFT.
The photo shows an overview of the bog in its first summer. the inflow comes into the bog just under the pile of rocks at the far end in the photo and exists out of view of this shot to the left. Its just a nice steady trickle - maybe 10 GPH at best. I wish I had taken photos in fall, because the end of the season pitcher production was phenomenal. The sundews already have vegetatively reproduced to increase their numbers considerably (S. intermedia, S. rotundifolia, S. capillaris, S. filiformis ssp. filiformis, S. tracyi, and S. filiformis 'Florida Red') plus produced a ton of seed that should increase their numbers and distribute them around the bog in the coming growing season.
To my surprise, several Sarracenia seedlings have cropped up already as well. Seed that was in the original pots from the previous year's blooms I presume. What's more, seedlings have even cropped up OUTSIDE my intended bog area in the damp area create by the return trickle to the spring branch! Heavy rains will temporarily inundate the bog, so this allows seed to float around and find a new home. Utilizing the outflow, I intend to extend the bog with several terraced sections sloping back down to the spring branch.
I've also added several of the native orchid species that love boggy conditions, Calopogon, Pogonia, Platanthera, Spiranthes. It is all looking great and I can't wait to see the growth in the 2012 season. We had a severe cold snap in late December with the temps dipping into the mid-tees. The bog froze solid! I was worried about the Drosera tracyi hibernacula (as big as golf balls!) and the Dionea. But they weren't fazed one bit by it! Some of the Dionea were frost heaved out of the substrate so I had to re-seat them, but they weren't damaged at all by such cold weather.
I'm also being adventurous and have planted two young Darlingtonia californica (Sierra Nevada race) in the partial shade right where the water first trickles into the bog, in hopes that the constant flow of cool spring water will allow them to persist in my unlikely climate. I'll keep you updated on how they do this coming season.
I have a couple Pinguicula primulaflora and P. planifolia too. They got pretty roughed up in the cold spells when we bottomed out around 15 and the bog froze solid, but they are still alive, so we'll see if they survive till spring and make a good showing in the coming year. U. gibba (I think) came as a "bonus" with a plant I purchased, and spread into half a dozen nice patches by fall last year, so I hope it returns. I also have some locally collected U. cornuta that I'm trying. I think some of the aquatic species might do well to so I'm going to be on the lookout for them.
I have several different types of Sphagnum from some of the local bogs and steam sides and it is spreading around nicely too. I never knew there were so many different kinds before, but I have some that is deep red purple at the tips, some that is almost black in winter and green in summer, and some that has orange red tips, as well as both shaggier and more compact growing forms that are just plain green. I guess its time to look into what species they might be!
I'll add photos as we go through the coming season so everyone can see its progress.
Oh, the site gets 6 to 8 hours of full sun in summer, but very little sun in the peak of winter due to the surrounding hills and the low sun angle. Hopefully that will keep plants from coming out of dormancy early since we are often subject to late season frosts in our hollow. Now, in mid-February its getting good morning sun and a bit of late afternoon sun. The full sun should return just in time for the spring growing season. I'm at elevation 960 above sea level, with mountains rising abruptly to my NW, and topping out at near 5,000 feet. We receive an average of 60 inches of rainfall here and my land is surrounded by national forest wilderness.
Summer highs average in the upper 80's, but 90's are not at all uncommon, with summer nights in the low 60's to upper 50's. Typically half of the winter nights are below freezing, with a handful below 20 and every few years below 10. Winter days are generally in the 40's to low 60's and a full day below 32 is a rarity (once only in the last 8 years) due to the downslope warming of winds coming off the Blue Ridge. This local "Chinook" effect also creates greater winter sunshine locally in the SC Upstate, a portion of NE Georgia, and a bit of NC - far more than nearby cities like Atlanta and Charlotte, which will stay socked in with low clouds while we enjoy crystal blue skies. All this benefits my commercial orchid greenhouse, which is my way of making a living out here in the sticks.
I live in the extreme western tip of South Carolina in Zone 7. Last spring I FINALLY completed work on a bog garden that I have situated in a naturally wet location on my property. I scooped out some of the soil with my tractor to enhance the depression, plus hand dug a large, deep oval in the center of the area to intentionally be a permanent 'pond' and water reservoir. I then lined the perimeter of the area with weather resistant boards and added some typical builders plastic around the edge to help further contain the moisture in the area. The center area doesn't have plastic since the clay substrate in nearly impervious without it. I built up shorelines and 'islands' using crushed granite 'sand' from the local rock quarry, mixed with a little acidic organic matter.
Not far from my bog is a natural spring branch, so I created a siphon that produces a constant small steam of fresh, cool spring water into the bog, and allows the overflow to return to the branch at the far end. I kept a lot of open shallow water to accommodate the many frog species we have in the area (I love their chorus each summer night!). Occasionally I have to re-prime the siphon, so this year I'm going to create a more permanent gravity feed of spring water instead.
I had a stockpile of mature Sarracenia that had lived in pots for the last 7 years, since I moved them with me from Atlanta where I had a small bog garden. Each of these plants had gotten so large that I was able to divide them and plant a 'colony' of individual clones. Some were species, others hybrids that had occurred naturally in my Atlanta garden. To this I added some things purchased from a few of the online suppliers, and a large colony of S. jonesii I grew from seed that a fellow CP lover had given me a few years back. Then added most of the temperate North American sundew species and a cell tray full of tissue cultured VFT.
The photo shows an overview of the bog in its first summer. the inflow comes into the bog just under the pile of rocks at the far end in the photo and exists out of view of this shot to the left. Its just a nice steady trickle - maybe 10 GPH at best. I wish I had taken photos in fall, because the end of the season pitcher production was phenomenal. The sundews already have vegetatively reproduced to increase their numbers considerably (S. intermedia, S. rotundifolia, S. capillaris, S. filiformis ssp. filiformis, S. tracyi, and S. filiformis 'Florida Red') plus produced a ton of seed that should increase their numbers and distribute them around the bog in the coming growing season.
To my surprise, several Sarracenia seedlings have cropped up already as well. Seed that was in the original pots from the previous year's blooms I presume. What's more, seedlings have even cropped up OUTSIDE my intended bog area in the damp area create by the return trickle to the spring branch! Heavy rains will temporarily inundate the bog, so this allows seed to float around and find a new home. Utilizing the outflow, I intend to extend the bog with several terraced sections sloping back down to the spring branch.
I've also added several of the native orchid species that love boggy conditions, Calopogon, Pogonia, Platanthera, Spiranthes. It is all looking great and I can't wait to see the growth in the 2012 season. We had a severe cold snap in late December with the temps dipping into the mid-tees. The bog froze solid! I was worried about the Drosera tracyi hibernacula (as big as golf balls!) and the Dionea. But they weren't fazed one bit by it! Some of the Dionea were frost heaved out of the substrate so I had to re-seat them, but they weren't damaged at all by such cold weather.
I'm also being adventurous and have planted two young Darlingtonia californica (Sierra Nevada race) in the partial shade right where the water first trickles into the bog, in hopes that the constant flow of cool spring water will allow them to persist in my unlikely climate. I'll keep you updated on how they do this coming season.
I have a couple Pinguicula primulaflora and P. planifolia too. They got pretty roughed up in the cold spells when we bottomed out around 15 and the bog froze solid, but they are still alive, so we'll see if they survive till spring and make a good showing in the coming year. U. gibba (I think) came as a "bonus" with a plant I purchased, and spread into half a dozen nice patches by fall last year, so I hope it returns. I also have some locally collected U. cornuta that I'm trying. I think some of the aquatic species might do well to so I'm going to be on the lookout for them.
I have several different types of Sphagnum from some of the local bogs and steam sides and it is spreading around nicely too. I never knew there were so many different kinds before, but I have some that is deep red purple at the tips, some that is almost black in winter and green in summer, and some that has orange red tips, as well as both shaggier and more compact growing forms that are just plain green. I guess its time to look into what species they might be!
I'll add photos as we go through the coming season so everyone can see its progress.
Oh, the site gets 6 to 8 hours of full sun in summer, but very little sun in the peak of winter due to the surrounding hills and the low sun angle. Hopefully that will keep plants from coming out of dormancy early since we are often subject to late season frosts in our hollow. Now, in mid-February its getting good morning sun and a bit of late afternoon sun. The full sun should return just in time for the spring growing season. I'm at elevation 960 above sea level, with mountains rising abruptly to my NW, and topping out at near 5,000 feet. We receive an average of 60 inches of rainfall here and my land is surrounded by national forest wilderness.
Summer highs average in the upper 80's, but 90's are not at all uncommon, with summer nights in the low 60's to upper 50's. Typically half of the winter nights are below freezing, with a handful below 20 and every few years below 10. Winter days are generally in the 40's to low 60's and a full day below 32 is a rarity (once only in the last 8 years) due to the downslope warming of winds coming off the Blue Ridge. This local "Chinook" effect also creates greater winter sunshine locally in the SC Upstate, a portion of NE Georgia, and a bit of NC - far more than nearby cities like Atlanta and Charlotte, which will stay socked in with low clouds while we enjoy crystal blue skies. All this benefits my commercial orchid greenhouse, which is my way of making a living out here in the sticks.