What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

overwinter bog garden

What can you grow in a zone 5-6 outdoor bog garden? I grow almost all Sarracenia species and some hybrids outside and Venus flytraps. Icurrently use pine boughs for protection. Has any one else used a synthetic material and ant thoughts about adding Darlingtonia , Utrics or Heliamphora?
Thanks
 
Darlingtonia and the utrics would be fine. Heliaphora are tropical and would die during the winter.
 
Sarracenia purpurea would do fine, since its the only Sarracenia adapted to the northern latitudes, found naturally into Canada.

All the other Sarrs and VFTs are iffy..
some people *have* successfully overwintered them in northern bogs..
larger bogs, in the ground, with heavy insulation..
so it can be done..but its still a gamble..
if its a particularly harsh and cold winter, they could all still die.

I intend to try it someyear soon..

I would build the bog, stock it mostly with species you know will do fine, then also plant just a few of the *iffy* species..see if they survive..if they do, try a few more the next year..

but I wouldnt go large-scale with VFTs or "southern" Sarrs, until you test it for a winter or two or three..

Scot
 
Any luck with everything coming back after the winter?
 
Zone 5, contains D.filiformis,intermedia,rotundifolia, U.sublata, S.flava ornata, purpurea, leucophylla, dixie lace, and dana's delight. VFT B52 and akai ryu. I mulch it in the winter with about a foot of dead leaves.

Bog_8-21-12.jpg
 
@Exo: Do you still cover it with burlap on top of the dead leaf layer?
Is it true that too much of a cover layer can be fatal to the plants?
 
@Exo: Do you still cover it with burlap on top of the dead leaf layer?
Is it true that too much of a cover layer can be fatal to the plants?

Yeah, I use a few sheets of burlap staked to the ground to keep the leaves from blowing away. As far as covering it too much, yes, too much mulch will smother the plants and encourage decay underneath. this is less likely with straw, or pine needles, but very likely with dead leaves. I find that about a foot of leaves seems to offer enough protection and the decay underneath is minimized
 
so.. you threw me for a loop there.
Having a thicker layer of leaves and a burlap cover prevents decay?
Thought too much cover causes decay?
In this case, too much top cover is never too much? More the better?
 
No, what I'm saying is....I wouldn't go over a foot in depth when it comes to leaf mulch due to the decay factor, but you can prolly use more straw or pine needles without an issue if you need a thicker mulch layer, given that your climate has harsher winters than mine. If you go over a foot of dead leaves, it will smother the plants most likely.
 
  • #10
OOooooh. gotcha.. now it makes sense.
 
  • #11
I think the key thing is that whatever you use for insulation won't smoosh totally flat..
Maple leaves will tend to lay flat to each other, making a layer of leaves that is "flat on the bottom"..not open and airy.
this could be bad..you would want a thinner layer if using such material.

While pine needles will remain more "open"..they wont make a solid flat layer pressed right to the surface of the bog and the CP's..
it remains more open and "porous"..you could use a thicker layer of such material overall, and it would probably be a better insulator,
because of all the open air pockets it would contain..

Black oak leaves are also good, since the pointy ends tend to keep individual leaves from laying flat on each other,
again keeping those nice open spaces:
10785828-brown-oak-leaf-isolated-with-path-on-white-background.jpg


Scot
 
  • #12
helpful AND useful information.
Thank you.
 
  • #13
Awesome. This gives me encouragment in my Zone 5 bog experiment. Have you ever tried any Darlingtonia? Or any that didn't make it through the winter?
 
  • #14
Now with whatever you use for isulation. Will all of it have to be removed once spring comes? I can only imagine the aggrivation of removing 6 to 12 inches of pine needles.
 
  • #15
Now with whatever you use for isulation. Will all of it have to be removed once spring comes? I can only imagine the aggrivation of removing 6 to 12 inches of pine needles.

I've got the bog half filled in with pine needles already. The whole time collecting them all I could think about was having to clear them all away from the bog come spring.
So yeah, once the snow melts I'll have to clear away all of the "insulation" from the bog.
 
  • #16
Sounds awesome. Ll has anyone tried a small layer of pine needles first. Then burlap then a thicker layer of needles then burlap again? In a sense clean up would seem to be easier and alot of the pine needles that were applied are easily removed come spring.
 
  • #17
One thing that helped me....I rolled out a layer of chicken wire over my bog before I pilled on the needles. Some fell though it, but I rolled it off in the spring.
 
Back
Top