How deep does a container bog garden need to be?

[anoutlier]

This forum is looking depressingly dead (seriously people, stop using Facebook, you're helping them monopolize the internet), but I had some questions about making a small bog garden.

As far as my experience level, I'd say I'm really just a beginner; I've had carnivorous plants on and off for years, but only recently have I had some real success, and I'm interested in getting into it a bit more.

I also moved recently, to a house, where I will be able to have a small bog garden outside. Right now I just have a venus flytrap (I also have a Nepenthes hybrid, but that's not going outside); I live in Oregon, and I already know what I could grow outside this way or I know how to obtain that information, but one thing about making a small bog garden (in a container) has eluded me.

How deep does the container need to be?

I bought a rigid plastic plant saucer from a supermarket to use for this, but it's very shallow, and I think I might need something deeper. I know I want to keep the flytrap in a small container garden, plus some temperate sundews and/or temperate butterworts, but I don't know how much space they need; I know they have small root systems but they still need space for them.

So what should I consider as the minimum depth for a container bog garden? How deep would it need to be if I decided I wanted to grow Sarracenia as well?

[stevebooth]

A lot depends on the diameter container you were thinking of using as well as the more mass you have the more stable the conditions become. A saucer is not a very good choice as the roots of VFTs go deceptively deep, 5" or more would be better and if you are thinking of growing Sarracenia then you want a minimum of 9" and preferably 18" for well grown plants. Also make allowance for periodic drainage outside as keeping a small bog flooded for long periods excludes oxygen from the roots.
Cheers
Steve

[partisangardener]

I think its death by Facebook.
The bigger the bog is the slower are the changes in temperature, moisture etc. which is always better for plants, not adapted to treebraches and such like.