What kind of plants to put in Zone 6a bog?

[Hop-frog]

Are there any particular kinds of plants most effective for a bog filter?

I am at region Zone 6a, which gets -10 to -5 degress F. Can anyone suggest what kind of plant will be super easy to grow and also will do an effective job of filtering the pond? This is planted among pea gravel in the bog filter part of my pond.

 

[Lisak1]

Here's what you need to consider - how big is your bog? A large bog can handle certain plants - irises for example - better than a smaller one. I also think about various root structures - you want some that will root deep into the gravel, some that stay shallower and some that essentially float on the top... if you have room for a variety. How much maintenance are you up for? Do you want to dig out plants when they get overgrown or are you more of a yank them up and toss them kind of gardener? Things like rushes and reeds and cattails can really be a challenge to maintain. As for hardiness - anything that's hardy in your zone will be hardy to grown in your bog. And any plant is effective at filtering - they are simply pulling nutrients out of the water, and all plants need nutrients!

You can grow just about anything in your bog, depending on the factors mentioned. I've grown everything from impatiens to tomatoes to watercress to cannas - all did great and add their own kind of interest!

 

[Hop-frog]

My bog is an 11" diameter circle. I am really not good at keeping plants, would rather have something that is plant and forget, so something that will come back year after year is probably preferred. If its more efficient at cleaning, that is useful too. I don't know if that means I need something that'll have many roots, or large leaves, or what other qualities to look for.

I know the bog has a lot of water and locally, most plants aren't gonna get much water, because its the desert, but the bog will be giving the plants lots and lots of water. The traditional locally grown items raised by the local Puebloan trives are blue corn, pinto beans, and Buffalo Gourd squash. Would any of those three likely thrive in the water?

 

[brokensword]

There isn't any plant you can put in your bog that won't eventually need thinning. If you don't, the water will channel and find other ways to get up and out. Trust me, found that out the hard way--I just couldn't figure out why my pond was always losing water, albeit slowly, until I started to see that my bog liner had slipped and the water was channeling along the sides and out. You WILL need to thin. A bog filter isn't maintenance free, but it's close! You want plants that are aggressive with shallow roots, for max filtration purposes. That said, most plant stuff they like to see, too. Iris are great at pulling nutrients but good luck to you when it comes time to thin and toss! In my bog, I have taller (iris, cardinal flower, canna, taro) in the back and working forward, creeping jenny, parrot's feather, and pennywort. I'm going to see how water poppy does this year!

 

[Lisak1]

Do you mean eleven INCHES or eleven FEET?

 

[Tula]

I'm going to try some canna lilies this year, but mostly I'm sticking with stuff that survives easily. I'm also in 6 A and have found water willow, forget me nots and creeping Jenny to be carefree.

I had to remove the pennywort as it took over the bog ! I also had luck with some lovely taros.

 

[Lisak1]

I love planting cannas in the bog! They give a tropical feel to the pond that you don't get from many other plants in our zone. They're annuals for us, but it's worth it to buy them every year for me. (I mean, I could dig them up and overwinter them inside, but LAZY GARDENER!)

 

[brokensword]

I love planting cannas in the bog! They give a tropical feel to the pond that you don't get from many other plants in our zone. They're annuals for us, but it's worth it to buy them every year for me. (I mean, I could dig them up and overwinter them inside, but LAZY GARDENER!)

Lisa; you can dig them up, put them in a hole near the east or south wall of your house (or even cover over with lots of your fall garden cleanup/leaves) and they should be okay in the spring. I've done both with success. I've even had the canna bloom in my basement turtle pool enclosure, though it took a long time to re-bloom once I put it in the bog. Hence why I went back to just storing underground. I know, it's not lazy, but if you're cleaning leaves/gardens anyhow, not a lot extra to bury them.

 

[mrsclem]

That also works for Elephant ear and Taro, had several come back for several years in pots stored under the deck.

 

[Lisak1]

I know... I've done it... I'm lazy! Haha! I've even successfully overwintered them by putting them deep into my big patio pots and then mulching heavily over them. I think I just have 10 million tasks staring me in the face in the fall and I just run out of steam.

I'm able to get them at a local nursery for $5 a piece every spring - well worth the purchase price to me!

 

[addy1]

I tend to agree, somethings , to me, are not worth the effort. I tried to save taro's never did ok. Managed this winter, put them in a glass with water and they are around 12 inches tall. The purple ones.

I have become more lazy as time has passed. And our bees take up so much of our time. And enjoying life lol

 

[Tula]

I tend to agree, somethings , to me, are not worth the effort. I tried to save taro's never did ok. Managed this winter, put them in a glass with water and they are around 12 inches tall. The purple ones.

I have become more lazy as time has passed. And our bees take up so much of our time. And enjoying life lol

We have "Fun Fact Fridays" at my exercise class and one of today's questions was about the love life of the male honey bee......I was shocked I tell ya.....shocked

 

[addy1]

We have "Fun Fact Fridays" at my exercise class and one of today's questions was about the love life of the male honey bee......I was shocked I tell ya.....shocked

lol do it once and drop to the ground dead! And if never do it, get drug out of the hive and die in the fall................they don't have a good life. But while alive, they are fed by the nurse bees, don't need to even feed themselves.

 

[Gemma]

I save my Cannas, repot and give away hundreds of them every Spring.
I don't do it to save cost, I do it because a lot of Cannas on the market have viruses, and no matter how well you take care of a sick plant, it will always look like it's dying (slow growth, yellowing of the leaves, tissue paper thin blooms etc.)
If any of you want some, send me a pm

 

[GBBUDD]

I do it because a lot of Cannas on the market have viruses, and no matter how well you take care of a sick plant, it will always look like it's dying (slow growth, yellowing of the leaves, tissue paper thin blooms etc

Shhhh don't tell Fauchi OR WE WILL ALL BE WALKING AROUND WITH HULA SKIRTS MADE OF FLOWER PEDALS