Bog gardens are much easier to construct than a traditional pond and can be extended, changed or even removed far more easily.  They also require even less maintenance than a garden pond.  Additionally, for those with small children who don’t want to risk the dangers a garden pond can create, a bog garden is a great alternative – although you can expect some very muddy toddlers! All you need is a spade, pond liner a strip of narrow piping or old hose pipe and some bog loving plants.

To construct a bog garden, you will first need to plan where and how big you want it to be.  Bog loving plant and animal species will be happy in shady areas, so it can be a great feature to add to part of the garden where other plants struggle to grow.  Often the far end or edges of a garden will be suitable.

Materials required:

• Pond liner (a slightly damaged liner will be perfect for this project)
• hose pipe (an old section of hosepipe with the odd hole in it is perfect!)
• Bog plants

Steps to creating a bog garden:

• Mark out the area with string and start digging to a depth of about 50cm / 18 inches.
• Line the hole you have created with a pond liner (a sheet of damaged or discarded liner can enjoy a second life by creating a bog garden) – rubber pond liners are usually the most.
• Pierce the sheet of pond liner with a garden fork at regular intervals – about 3 feet apart.
• Line it with a layer of gravel to help with water drainage so that your bog, while remaining water logged doesn’t become a pool of water. The pond liner acts as a barrier to water drainage thus preventing your blog from drying out.
• Lay a length of porous pipe on the liner.  One end will need to be attached to a tap and the other should be left so that it comes out of the ground.
• Replace the soil over the pond liner and covering the hose pipe connect to the water supply – this is  to irrigate the bog area occasionally.

Plant up your blog and enjoy the this new wildlife-loving feature of your garden.