How do you make a mini bog garden in a pot?

[Jules]

Hi All,

I have a glazed pot that is about 50cm diameter and 40cm in height, I would like to plant up a few CP's in it and have it on the patio next year.

My questions are:

1. Do I fill the entire pot with suitable peat mix?? or half fill it with gravel to act as a water trap??

2. What plants do you suggest as being most suitable?? I've not made a list yet of the species i've got but the only one I knwo will be okay is the S.purpurea that I have... any other suggestions??

How do you make sure you 'pot' is wet enough as you can't see how much water is in it??

TIA

:-)

Jules

[Loakesy]

This has been discussed loads here, but I've got a 15" round pot in the garden. Sealed at the bottom but I've drilled some small drainage holes about 6" from the top; filled it with peat mix and left it in the garden. As long as the top of the peat is wet to touch, I've found that my plants are fine. I water every now and then to make sure it stays wet (maybe once a when it's cool and dry, more if it gets hotter).

I've got:

S. Purpurea ssp venosa

S. oreophila

S. x exornata

S. rubra ssp alabamensis x oreophila

VFT typical

D. capensis

all growing very nicely in it

I'm thinking of expanding it to a bigger pot in the winter.

[Jules]

Hi Andy,

Is your pot going to stay outside all winter??

:-)

Jules

[Loakesy]

Yes! Last year I put it in the shed when it got Really cold and the peat froze solid, but most the plants are UK hardy, so should be fine. I'm kind-of experimenting with the VFT and the capensis. Some growers have had success growing these outdoors.