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Digging bog gardens
Fishy65
Posts: 2,276
OK a question on whether artificially created boggy areas need to be dug over and if so would you use the same methods for a normal border?
If the answer is yes it should be dug, I may be a little late as various plants (ragged robin, water avens etc) are either beginning to shoot or even flower in the water avens's case. So I've forked the ground in question, just trying to lift it slightly to encourage air to the roots.
Regarding the above, in a natural bog surely the wet earth wouldn't be dug over and yet wild plants in such a situation survive?
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Fishy bog gardens are exactly what you quite rightly guessed. No dig. Bogs rely on no disturbance of the bed conditions. That way they thrive. Dig them and the whole structure changes as will the plants that rely on those specific conditions.
Thank you Philippa and Dave, you have confirmed what I was thinking. Its just I was reading a gardening book last night which said very few plants can survive in water logged ground and that digging was always essential. Unless I misinterpreted their point.
Philippa - the boggy 'strip' is already established on the far side of the pond with punctured pond liner sunk into the ground. I have ragged robin, water avens, lady's smock and purple loosestrife happily growing but some self sown forget-me-nots are no as happy as their border buddies. Meadow sweet and sneezewort will be added once they are big enough.
And its good to see you too
Our Gordon might not be gardening savvy but he can rustle up a good plate of beans on toast 