Pond Alert!
Create your own bog garden L Managing your garden pond to protect Scotland’s wildlife A U R I E R C O A G M E P R B
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Put yourself in the frog’s shoes T E R F I E
The bog garden provides a crucial link L D between the pond and the surrounding dry land for many animal and plant species, as well as being a natural visual feast for humans. If you think about your garden from the perspective of a frog (or a dragonfly, or a shrew) you will start to work out whether you have enough feeding, travelling and hiding places for the varied wildlife. The colourful and attractive flowers of the bog garden CreateCreate your own Common Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) plants will also prove popular with more traditional terrestrial invertebrates such as butterflies and bumblebees. Common frog (Rana temporaria) L A U
R bog garden ᮡ Common Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) I E C A M
Description: A medium height plant of around P B E L 1m, with clusters of small pink flowers L produced from June to August. Growing conditions: Happy in sunny or shady spots and from the edge of the water through to damp grassland. Native range: Throughout Scotland.
K U ᮣ Pendulous Sedge (Carex pendula) . O C Description: An architectural treat, with the . N G I long sedge flowers forming a delicate arch at S E D P the pond side, up to 2m tall. J R :
Growing conditions: Widely available as a plug www.plantlife.org.uk N G I S plant or larger for direct planting into the bog E D
garden. Prefers clay soils.
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Native range: Across the Central Belt and N A L scattered locations along the north east coast. G N E
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Keeping control U T A N
Many bog garden plants will establish quickly, Y L and you might find that one or two species start E Plantlife is the UK’s leading charity working to protect K A W to take over. Thin out, gently, if necessary during wild plants and their habitats R E T
the summer and autumn, and then have a good E P
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clearance session early the following spring. Add Plantlife Scotland, Balallan House, B
E these thinnings to your compost heap. This will R Allan Park, Stirling, FK8 2QG U T C allow room for the less dominant species to I P Tel:01786 478509/479382 R keep growing, and give you space to add new E V O
Plantlife International – The Wild Plant Conservation Charity is a charitable company limited by guarantee. C species if you fancy a bit more variety. Pendulous Sedge (Carex pendula) Registered Charity Number: SCO38951 Registered Company Number: 3166339. Registered in England
ISBN: 1-904749-89-5 © December 2007 L Create your own bog garden Create your own bog garden P A L D U A L E N R I nettles and docken. With the liner in place, Native range: Throughout central and southern I F T E R C L E I A F T E M T
the area should become waterlogged naturally P Scotland. U B B
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G over the winter, ready for some moisture O R loving plants to be added in the spring. ᮢ Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) Description: Another striking plant, up to 1.2m Good bog species to use tall with spikes of stunning purple flowers in The really fun part of a bog garden is choosing July and August. A real attraction for many the species to plant. Many native species for insect species. this habitat have colourful flowers or interesting Growing conditions: Grows in sun or partial architectural structure. As well as being great shade and doesn’t mind if the ground dries out for wildlife, your bog can be an eye-catching a bit. part of the garden for human visitors too. Native range: Argyll, the Central Belt and south-west Scotland. Some species to consider using are: ᮣ Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) ᮢ Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) Great Willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum) Description: Growing to 50cm in height, this Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) Description: Clusters of yellow flowers, in plant produces delightfully tattered looking April and May, giving strong spring colour, pink-purple flowers from May to August. attractive leaves – hand sized and heart ᮡ Great Willowherb (Epilobium hirsutum) Growing conditions: Will grow from seed or ᮢCuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis) shaped. Grows in manageable clumps, 30- Description: Produces spikes of pink flowers, in July as a plug plant, in sun or semi-shade. Can also Description: A dainty harbinger of the new 40cm high. and August, with long and pointed leaves. The plant grow on damp grassland and be cut as part of growing season, with pale pink flowers (March to A pond on its own is good, but making a bog garden or a smooth gradient from the water Growing conditions: Plant in a clump at the can reach a stately 1.5m tall. a summer meadow, so gives an option for June) which attract the orange-tip butterfly. garden alongside your pond can really add to out to the dryer area. side of the pond. Grows in sun or shade and Growing conditions: Plant one or two plants in the extending the bog garden into a grassland Grows up to 60cm tall. the appeal your garden has for local wildlife. doesn’t need to be contained in a basket. This mud at the side of the pond. Grows very quickly habitat, or even wet woodland areas. Growing conditions: Grows well in sun or Dig shallow is a well-behaved plant, but if there is too much and thinning out by dividing into clumps in spring Native range: Widespread throughout partial shade and can also be part of a damp When to start your bog garden Mark out the area for the bog garden and lift you can pull some out during the summer. or autumn may be necessary. Prefers neutral or southern and central Scotland, and all but the spring meadow. The best time of year to start creating a bog off the soil to a depth of 20cm. Make sure Native range: Widespread throughout Scotland. slightly alkali soils. highest ground in the north. Native range: Throughout Scotland. garden is in the autumn. Most of the animals the edges of the area are level, using pegs and that live in and around the pond should have a spirit level. Prepare the ground as you R P L A L O A U G N R E T I R left for the winter and the soil will still have would for the pond itself, removing any E L C
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some warmth but not too much water in it, so stones or other debris and, ideally, pre-lining B E E R L F L I E L
will be easier to work. The new bog garden the area with sand and old carpet or D area will then have the winter to settle down newspapers as a protective underlay. Then and water can collect before the growing add your standard butyl liner, making sure it season begins in the spring. overlaps with the pond liner so that any overflow water from the pond can soak into Where to put your bog garden the bog garden. Puncture the liner a few Choose which side of the pond you would like times with a garden fork, to allow some very to develop for your bog garden. This will slow drainage to take place, as this will mimic depend on your garden layout, taking into natural bog conditions. account the location of flower beds and paths. It is sensible, and makes life easier, to pick an Refill the area with soil (not topsoil), and some area where water generally lies during rainy more sand if possible. As with the pond itself, periods. You can also decide whether to have you don’t want too many nutrients in the bog a little island area between the pond and bog area or it will soon become overgrown with Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis)