ROCK GARDENS

Bog or Marsh Gardens 1

A pond is not an essential feature of the bog garden, although its presence is to be desired, for the overflow can be used to feed the marsh. It is essential, however, that the soil of the marsh garden shall be kept in a moist, swampy state through the whole year. The site of the bog garden must, naturally, be low-lying and when the surface drainage will naturally collect. If the subsoil is of sticky clay, a mere trickle of water will keep the ground in a sufficiently moist condition. Should the subsoil be light and well drained, a certain amount of excavation will be necessary before the bog garden can be made. Dig out about two feet of the top soil and introduce a little clay to form a basis, over this spread a five-inch bed of rubble or large stones, and then a layer of coarse soil. Now fill the hollow, almost to the level of the surrounding land, with a compost of half loam and half leaf-mould or peat. Unless a natural flow of water is available, an artificial trickle, just sufficient to keep the bog swampy, must be introduced. Because bog plants should never suffer from drought, the marsh garden should be kept quite moist, but on the other hand must not become stagnant, and it is for this reason that slight bottom drainage is introduced. The bog should never be more than two feet in depth; its extent, of course, will depend on the space available and upon taste. Paths of rough stones or bricks should be made through the bog, and over these should be placed flat stepping-stones, in order to make every part of the bog accessible. If these paths are made at varying heights, they may be used to divide the bog into shelving beds, the higher and better-drained of which will accommodate plants not requiring much moisture, while in the lower-lying sites can be grown the real moisture-lovers.

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