Most landscapes represent a compromise. Two forces act on a landscape: the gardener’s vision for a plot of land and the actual environment that Mother Nature provides for that spot.

If a gardener wants flowers but finds the landscape is shaded by nearby trees, consult knowledgeable experts to find flowering plants that tolerate shade. Likewise, if a site has spots that drain poorly, a smart gardener will think, “Would I rather radically change how the water flows or would I rather landscape with plants that tolerate wet feet?”

Being a lazy gardener myself, I always opt for the latter choice. When Nature gave me shade, I converted the spot from a sun-loving but thin lawn to ‘Annabelle’ Hydrangeas and ‘Aromi’ Azaleas. When I have a wet spot, I go looking for plants that like that environment.

So it was that I found myself digging a 6-foot-wide and 2-foot-deep hole a few years ago, determined that if Nature “wanted” a bog in that spot, then Nature would “get” a bog in that spot!

A bog can be lots of fun! My son and his friends delighted in feeding daddy longlegs spiders to the Venus Flytraps. They spent hours trying to fool ants into marching up the sticky stems of a Sundew. And they learned that carnivorous plants are not omnipotent when they found that a Japanese beetle could easily chew its way out of a Pitcher Plant!

SITE
Most bog plants grow best in sunshine. The size of the bog is up to you, but a minimum diameter is 3 feet by 3 feet, with a depth of 18 inches. Larger bogs have the advantage of drying out more slowly, and they are more attractive to backyard wildlife.

DIG AND FILL THE HOLE
Excavate your soil so that one edge of the hole is an inch or two lower than the other sides. This is where any excess water will drain out. Line the hole with heavy-duty (6 mil.) sheet plastic, leaving a 6-inch border of plastic all around. Cover the plastic edge completely with large stones. Mix gritty general-purpose sand (not play sand) and peat moss 50:50 in a wheelbarrow. After a thorough stirring, trundle the mixture to your hole and fill it halfway. Soak it thoroughly, then bring out the kids to participate in the next step. Using bare feet, pack everything down. Jumping, dancing, marching, and singing together are all good ways to accomplish the task. Make more of the sand:peat mixture and fill the hole completely. Soak and pack this down as well.

PROVIDE WATER
Natural rainfall won’t supply enough water to keep your bog soggy in the summer. The easiest way to water a bog is to bury a 6- to 10-foot length of soaker hose inside the upper edge of the bog and connect it to a hose. You’ll soon get a feel for how often the bog needs water. To check, just scoop out a deep trowelful of peat mixture. If water begins to seep into the resulting hole, no water is needed that day. Since there is no standing water in the bog, mosquitoes are not a problem.

BOG PLANTS
Many plants feel right at home in a bog. Install the plants listed below at least 6 inches apart. In just a few weeks, you’ll be amazed at the number of kids, butterflies, and birds that will be attracted to your moist paradise. Use the Venus Flytrap as an annual, as it will not usually survive an Atlanta winter.

Arrowhead
Astilbe
Dwarf Canna
Dwarf Cattail
Dwarf Hosta
Dwarf Papyrus
Elephant Ear
Ferns
Pitcher Plant
Sundew
Turtlehead
Venus Flytrap
Yellow Flag Iris

DECIDUOUS AZALEAS FOR THE HEAT
If you like the eye-catching May-June flowers of tall deciduous Azaleas but Nature has given you a shady, hot site to landscape, you have an excellent new choice. Exbury hybrid Azaleas are known to fade away after a couple of years of fighting the Georgia heat. Fortunately, Dr. Gene Aromi in Alabama crossbred his Exbury’s with heat-tolerant native Azaleas to produce several superior varieties known as Aromi hybrids. Most are fragrant and have good resistance to powdery mildew on the leaves.

Walter Reeves is a lifelong Georgian, UGA grad and former county extension agent. He currently hosts the popular “Lawn & Garden Show” on 750 WSB-AM and “Gardening in Georgia” on GPTV.