International Bog Garden - Japanese Style!

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KyushuCalanthe

Just call me Tom
Joined
Jan 12, 2008
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Location
Kyushu, Japan; warm temperate/subtropical climate
I've got a couple "portable" bog gardens (hell on the back though). Here's the newest one. It was put together back in the fall of 2008. There are a number of orchids and insectivorous plants growing quite nicely. By this fall the larger pitcher plants will no doubt be much more bulked up.

The whole thing, sitting on the top of the garden shed for optimal sunshine - still only about 6-8 hours of full sun per day - enough, but more is better.

BogWHL.jpg


There are five types of Sarracenia in there, three hybrids, and these two species, S. alata and S. leucophylla. These top out at around 3 feet when happy, sometimes more.

Sarracenias.jpg


One of my favorites though is this bog hugging hybrid pitcher. Yes, it is that red in real life. One parent is definitely S. psittacina and likely the other is some form of S. purpurea.

SarrPsittHyb.jpg


An Australian addition to the bog is this cool sundew, Drosera binata. Generally thought to be cold sensitive, I've found it to be able to handle the frosts we get here (not below 25 F). It is deciduous in winter.

DrosBif.jpg


Of course I had to put at least one Japanese plant in as well. Here is one of the two native Pogonia species of Japan, P. japonica. These spread like crazy via slender stolons and can travel surprisingly far. Having said that, they are tricky and quick to die back as well, so any given colony can be very strong one season and very thin the next.

PogoniaJaponica.jpg


Finally, just to make it a truly international bog garden, here is the European Dactylorhiza fuchsii. This climate is really pushing its heat tolerance, but it has been surviving for a couple seasons now.

DactyMajalis.jpg


Containerized bog gardens unfortunately don't last forever since the substrate becomes too decomposed through time. Natural bogs have a constant input of new organic material through plant growth and many have at least some water flow - both of these are lacking in bog garden. The upshot is, after about four or five years you have to break them down totally and start all over again. Worth the trouble in my opinion!
 
Very true about pogonia...last year maaaany flowers...this year I have only 7....but still very nice.Nice Sarracenias and drosera...thanks!!!
 
Thanks for the tips on container gardening. Very timely. :)

Portable.:D
Is this when one can take their container of Sarracenias and move them by the garbage cans the morning after a seafood dinner?

It works better than any flypaper.
 
I love it!:clap:

What media are you using that you have to replace it every 4 or 5 years? When you talk about organic media, there can't be much, since CPs can't tolerate much nutrients. I don't have a 'bog garden' as such, but all the potted plants I grow are in a peat/silica sand mix, or live sphagnum. How would a 'portable' garden be different from a permanent bog in this respect?
 
Glad you all enjoyed the pics and bog. They are a lot of fun.

Tell us more detail on what its composed of...

Are you pulling my chain?

Portable.:D
Is this when one can take their container of Sarracenias and move them by the garbage cans the morning after a seafood dinner?

It works better than any flypaper.

Yeah, but a seafood dinner is almost every night here!

I love it!:clap:

What media are you using that you have to replace it every 4 or 5 years? When you talk about organic media, there can't be much, since CPs can't tolerate much nutrients. I don't have a 'bog garden' as such, but all the potted plants I grow are in a peat/silica sand mix, or live sphagnum. How would a 'portable' garden be different from a permanent bog in this respect?

Funny that the "portable" idea got so much mileage. It was mostly a joke. I've had large in ground bog gardens back in the states, but here there is so little growing space one has to be happy with small containers.

Regarding the compost, it is a mix of silica sand and peat moss, around 50:50 in the top half and more like pure sand at the bottom. In this climate the peat breaks down pretty fast into a black, sticky mess after a while, so I like to replant bogs to keep the plants happier. In my experience bog gardens like this peak in around 3 years and start to show decline by the 5th or so. In a natural bog there is new organic material added each season and there is at least some water flow. A tub bog garden is much more static in comparison.
 
really nice container, I'd like to start a few of these in addition to my in ground bog. Are you sure that is D. binata and not D. dichotoma? I thought binata did not branch, but dichotoma and multifida (my favorite of the forked sundews) did. Anyway, great job on this one.

Forrest
 
really nice container, I'd like to start a few of these in addition to my in ground bog. Are you sure that is D. binata and not D. dichotoma? I thought binata did not branch, but dichotoma and multifida (my favorite of the forked sundews) did. Anyway, great job on this one.

Forrest

In my experience, forking is not the defining feature of these varieties. My binata branches. To me, the difference is in size - binata is mostly compact, dichotoma is very large and floppy, and multifida is similar to dichotoma, but is much darker in colour.
 
Are you pulling my chain?

Regarding the compost, it is a mix of silica sand and peat moss, around 50:50 in the top half and more like pure sand at the bottom. .

No,this is the info I meant. I'm assuming there is no drainage otherwise there would "at least some water flow", correct? Or do I have to pull your chain to get more info! :poke:
 
In my experience, forking is not the defining feature of these varieties. My binata branches. To me, the difference is in size - binata is mostly compact, dichotoma is very large and floppy, and multifida is similar to dichotoma, but is much darker in colour.

Thanks for the info. Guess I just assumed this 'cause mine have never branched.
 
Are you sure that is D. binata and not D. dichotoma? I thought binata did not branch, but dichotoma and multifida (my favorite of the forked sundews) did. Anyway, great job on this one.

Forrest

The label just said D. binata. In Japan you are lucky to get that much ID from a label!

the pogonia doesn't look much different from rose pogonia here in the northeast.

Very similar, just bit smaller in overall stature and flower size.

In my experience, forking is not the defining feature of these varieties. My binata branches. To me, the difference is in size - binata is mostly compact, dichotoma is very large and floppy, and multifida is similar to dichotoma, but is much darker in colour.

Thanks for that clarification Kevin. This plant has been very compact so far.

No,this is the info I meant. I'm assuming there is no drainage otherwise there would "at least some water flow", correct? Or do I have to pull your chain to get more info! :poke:

Sure, pull away! True, the bottom has no drainage, but about 3/4 of the way up the sides I slit the container with an exacto knife - slow drainage, but the whole thing stays wet most of the time. During extreme hot and dry times I have to water it about twice a week. The whole system is not unlike a fish tank - over time it sours - hence my comment about lack of water flow.
 
Sure, pull away! .

:eek:


True, the bottom has no drainage, but about 3/4 of the way up the sides I slit the container with an exacto knife - slow drainage, but the whole thing stays wet most of the time. During extreme hot and dry times I have to water it about twice a week. The whole system is not unlike a fish tank - over time it sours - hence my comment about lack of water flow.
OK, but I need more info. People keep giving me bog plants and I kill them -too dry!! Can you imagine that; me-too dry!?!??! :sob: How deep is it; or did I miss that somewhere? I really should be able to grow these as I water everything 2-3 times per week. :(
 
OK, but I need more info. People keep giving me bog plants and I kill them -too dry!! Can you imagine that; me-too dry!?!??! :sob: How deep is it; or did I miss that somewhere? I really should be able to grow these as I water everything 2-3 times per week. :(

Eric, to be honest, unless you grow outside I think you'll find Sarracenia and certainly any bog orchid difficult to maintain longterm (unless you grow under strong artificial light). These are full sun plants. Also, water quality is a serious issue - they can't take salt build up in the growing medium so you've either got to use mineral free water most of the time or somehow flush the system out often - impossible under the conditions I keep them.

I use a deep container, at least 10" deep, and large capacity, say no less than 5 gallons. This helps stabilize the moisture of the bog. If you use too small a container it will dry out very rapidly. Another possible method is to grow plants in individual pots and have these in a container of water that comes up around half way up the pots. In winter these plants need a dormancy with at least fairly cool temperatures (mid 50s is enough) and just moist conditions. In summer keep them in a hot, sunny position and keep them wet.

Got a balcony? You might be able to grow the out there. Otherwise some of the sundews are subtropical (as well as butterworts) and make good windowsill plants.
 
A few more pics from yesterday.

Sarracenia leucophylla

SarrLeucophyllaPIT.jpg


And the tiny Japanese native, Eleorchis japonica. This is a close relative of Arethusa, Calopogon, and Pogonia. The flowers typically are deep rosey purple, but here is a "semi-alba" form.

EleorchisJaponicaPLT.jpg
EleorchisJaponicaFL.jpg


Another hybrid pitcher, possibly Sarracenia Dixie Lace

SarraDixiLaceFLS.jpg


The Drosera are in bud, both binata and filiformis.
 

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