I gave my bog presentation this morning. Have I ever mentioned that public speaking makes me turn red. I've known these people for six years and I still get nervous speaking in front of them.
The lecture went too quickly and I didn't follow my notes. Basically, I convinced 20 people to avoid bog gardening at all costs. I even had a hard time giving the plants I brought as examples away at the end. The woman who won them in the drawing didn't want them.
Here are things you should not ever do when creating a bog garden.
1. Go find good researched based information and ignore it.
2. Enlist the "help" of three specialists and implement all of their conflicting suggestions. Pots float, mosquitoes have a home, crawdads move in, bog is alkaline, extension agent is unhappy.
3. Put a liner in it with no drainage at all. This creates flooding. Also makes a perfect mosquito and crawdad habitat.
4. Use alkaline compost. This kills plants. (FYI cotton bur compost is alkaline big time)
5. Sink large containers in the bog to hold invasive plants. They will float.
6. Put down flagstone before spreading sand, remove the sandstone repeat.
7. Put in river rock before the bog settles, take all river rock out and add more soil and compost. Repeat.
8. Plant all the plants on the hottest day in September and don't water for two days. This kills plants.
It is actually pretty right now. The hardy hibiscus are blooming. We still need to tweak the plant selections, but it is on its way.
While I gave this little program I received a voice mail. The phone says, "You have one new voicemail. Message marked URGENT." Baby Monkey, "Mom, can I have a pop tart?"
Somebody help me.
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"Can I have a pop tart?"---oh that is funny! I couldn't imagine what a bog and a pop tart had in common reading the title of your post. Love those monkeys! :)
ReplyDeleteThey will not let you give a speech. So I'm thinking of bogging but my backyard is naturally wet so all will work till a drought. Ha!
ReplyDeleteFunny. Now, why would the woman who won the draw not want her plants? Because you scared her off?
ReplyDeleteNow I want to know the real way to make a bog garden. Are there any quick and dirty ways to make a small starter one? Always wondered if sinking an old washtub in the ground would work. Would this need drainage too? Half-way up maybe?
You sound like me; I always find all the ways NOT to do something before I finally find the right way! Oh, well, as they say "all's well that ends well".
ReplyDeleteMy condolences on the recent loss of your modem!