Bog building, also called upflow filter, eco filter, wetland filter

[addy1]

My gravel varies from a few inches above the water line to a few inches below. The water above the gravel is the birds favorite place to bath and drink. The water being below the gravel makes it work on its way back to the pond, through roots, gravel etc. Most likely it does not matter if the water is slightly above the gravel or below. The gravel covered with water , dead summer, no plants, full sun, did grow some of the slime algae off and on.

 

[CountryEscape]

Turtle Mommy, you can do some "decorating" with the water lines, too. Someone else on here with a bog, maybe Larkin (Fishin4Cars) had kind of a "river" flowing in a snake-like design through his bog, making the pea gravel in that area. Or, you can put decorative larger rocks on the gravel as well. Addy has some beautiful plants in her bog, with tons of design, too! The only thing about stacking up the pea gravel higher than the water in one place, and lower in another, if it's close to each other, is if you need to walk on it to add or remove or relocate plants. The pea gravel shifts quickly to the lowest part. I think some plants like to be below the water, some a little above, and so that can determine your above/below depth, too.
What would we have all done without this great thread from Addy?! Thanks again, Addy.

 

[addy1]

Thanks ce, glad it is helpful. Forgot to mention having walking rocks in the bog too. Nice big ones that you can step on, keep your feet dry. I also have just decorative rocks in the bog, they begin to disappear as the plants grow.

 

[Mmathis]

Was wondering, since some plants want their crowns ABOVE the water, and some aren't particular.

 

[addy1]

I have plants that should not like being below water, they are under water and doing fine and visa versa. The plants can ignore the rules and do sometimes. Sometimes they fail to thrive, but do survive.

Explain that purple flower out in the yard, butt freezing cold, heavy killer frosts, snow, sleet, ice, rated for zone 8, still blooming, growing doing just fine. It for sure is not following the rules!

 

[brandonsdad02]

My bog took off like mad this year. I was surprised how well it did. Might have to do some repairs to the bog once spring comes. Not sure how the pipes will hold up to the ice. So far the only issue is a broken male end coupling that screws into the ball valve.

 

[addy1]

I have some exposed pipes, open ends though, I need to go out and check them, we are a warm 9 this am. Not too concerned, if they split easy to fix. I need to move things around for the new 1000gallon tank anyways, get some water to it from the pump line.

Talk about plant growth! I pulled day lilies from the bog, had enough to plant along a entire fence line.

 

[CountryEscape]

This year I'll be moving and removing plants from my bogs. Like you said, Addy, they soon cover anything you had that was "decorative" when the spring growth began! I'm going to try Craig's List when the plants start growing, and see if I can get some money back on my plants, not much, just try to have a little spending money for the ponds. I'll have tons of water lilies, water parsley, water clover, dwarf cattails. Anyone on here interested (some have already told me what they want by PMing me), I'd be happy to send starts for just the postage. I'll probably post in classifieds when I'm actually ready to pull plants in the spring. Boy, am I ready for spring, too!
I have one plant that I got last spring, babied it all year, keeping other spreading plants from overtaking it - Golden Club. It finally died back when the weather got colder, as it should have, so hoping it comes back and "blooms" this spring! Oh my, just talking about blooms makes me dream about spring....

 

[Mmathis]

This year I'll be moving and removing plants from my bogs. Like you said, Addy, they soon cover anything you had that was "decorative" when the spring growth began! I'm going to try Craig's List when the plants start growing, and see if I can get some money back on my plants, not much, just try to have a little spending money for the ponds. I'll have tons of water lilies, water parsley, water clover, dwarf cattails. Anyone on here interested (some have already told me what they want by PMing me), I'd be happy to send starts for just the postage. I'll probably post in classifieds when I'm actually ready to pull plants in the spring. Boy, am I ready for spring, too!
I have one plant that I got last spring, babied it all year, keeping other spreading plants from overtaking it - Golden Club. It finally died back when the weather got colder, as it should have, so hoping it comes back and "blooms" this spring! Oh my, just talking about blooms makes me dream about spring....

Know what you mean! Our weather here has been so spring-like that it's making me want to do "plant things" that I shouldn't be doing in January despite the weather. Mostly, right now, shopping for and planning what I'll have in my bog! ... and the bog's not even built yet.

 

[CountryEscape]

Your weather allows for planting this time of year, I bet, but not here. Everything is frozen pretty solid at the moment. I'm anxious for the next thaw, so I can check pumps again. Face it, I'm just anxious for the ice to be gone for good, and spring to be right around the corner. I don't mind chilly days and nights, just prefer the days to not get below 35. Not asking too much, am I?!

 

[brandonsdad02]

CE. Sign me up for the list of bog plants and some good lilies. I got mine from Menards and they only bloom like one flower a week during the summer.

My bog is really frozen right now. The pipe froze solid Monday night so I cut it right off the main line and put a rubber cap on it. Will deal with it later. Gonna get down to 2 tonight. Colleen can have her cold air back lol

 

[CountryEscape]

Ryan if you would please private message me, let me know what you are looking for, that's where I will look come spring time for who wants what. I have that Georgia Peach lily from Addy that I LOVE! I know I marked those pots, so I know which is which. I also got several from Menards, but the Georgia Peach typically has 4-8 blooms on it at a time, usually all the time blooming once it starts. Sounds like you'd like one of those!

 

[brandonsdad02]

Was out trying to get my bog thawed out today since the line froze a few weeks ago. In between the hot water soaks, I was pulling out some of the dead foliage. The water mint is starting to grow already. Some of the sedges are starting to grow too. I pulled out the dead shoots off the sedge. You hardly touch them and they were pulling out.

What do all of you do in the spring with the bog plants? Do you pull all of the dead stuff out or just leave it?

 

[addy1]

Was out trying to get my bog thawed out today since the line froze a few weeks ago. In between the hot water soaks, I was pulling out some of the dead foliage. The water mint is starting to grow already. Some of the sedges are starting to grow too. I pulled out the dead shoots off the sedge. You hardly touch them and they were pulling out.

What do all of you do in the spring with the bog plants? Do you pull all of the dead stuff out or just leave it?

I pull out dead stuff, usually once it starts to thaw I go though (sometimes with a rake) and just give it a raking to get rid of dead matter. I tend to get a bunch of leaves from the maple, the other plants leave dead branches etc from the winter die back. In the spring it starts out as pretty naked. Right now mine is still frozen solid. Probably beginning of March I will go and groom it well. The blue forgetmenot is already growing though, even with it still frozen, nice and green lol

 

[CountryEscape]

I trimmed back the dwarf cattails last fall, when they started falling over. I also did the same with other plants that died in the fall with the cold weather, either pulled or cut them off at ground level.
I will probably try to get that one umbrella palm pulled out of the water this weekend. It should not survive the winter, not hardy in Zone 6, but I was not able to get it dug/pulled out last fall. It's REALLY hard to get out of there, makes TONS of roots. It's a good bog plant for siphoning the water; however, this year if the few shoots I chopped off of the mother plant survive, I'm putting them in a pot and try to contain them. The first year, they overgrew their tiny 4" pot and barely fit in a 5 gal bucket. I know now that they spread, won't try to save more than a few shoots, like I did this year.
Not really sure what all else is out there that needs to be pulled out. I have a feeling the water clover and water parsley is hibernating, soon to regrow, but maybe the old stuff from last year needs to be removed, huh? Good question, Ryan!