|
|
|
 |
|
 |
| Pools, Cascades and Fountains |
Such a bog garden is not an easy feature to make on a miniature
scale as might be supposed, and should advisedly be left until the
minigardener has had quite a deal of experience with other types.
Then it offers many possibilities. It needs very careful planning.
Soils, to suit different plants and planned to have various degrees
of moisture, are arranged in particular positions. The main flow
of water may drift through, forming little pools of water in the
swampy soil; islands of firmer soil provide a rooting for dwarf
willows or other effective plants. The whoe plan attempts to
provide for plants that will actually grow in the water; for those
which will grow in swampy soil; and for those suitable for merely
moist soils and the banks of water pools. Part of the problem is
to find, and obtain, not only plants that are suitable for such
conditions, but also those that are of proportionate size to the
miniature garden.
Try to get contrasts in shape, together with
flower and foliage effects.
PLANTS FOR THE BOG AND WATER GARDEN
There are not many plants small enough to be effective that
grow well in pools of clear water. The best are Alisma natans,
Azolla caroliniana, Hydrocharus norsus ranae, Hottonia and
Fontinalis. These need about one inch of good loam on the floor
of the pool (which is put in position before the water) and a
depth of at least 3 inches of water, preferably a little more, is
essential.
When you feel sufficiently experienced and want to tackle a
bog garden, it is as well to get a preliminary idea of the sizes and
details of suitable plants. If your nurseryman cannot offer much
advice, your local park superintendent may be able to help, or,
better still, a visit to a Botanic garden.
A few suggestions including shrubs, ferns, bog and carpeting
plants are: Dwarf Willow Tree; Asplenium ruta muraria and
A. trichomanes: Adiantum: Andromeda polifolia; Spiraea;
Cotula reptans; Arenaria; Dryas octopetala minima; Sisyrincham augustifolium; Sedum villosum; Primula farinosa; Primula
aurantiaca; Primula rosea; Myosotis; Hypericum elodes; and Drosera rotundifolia.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
