My bog garden progression

[fbrem]

and the last of them...

Dionaea muscipula

Drosera multifida var. extrema

D. capensis alba

D. nitidula x pulchella (natural hybrid)

D. dielsiana

and that's about it, wow that posting made me weary, time for a beer then a nap. Enjoy

Forrest.

 

[Rick]

Your bog has done excellently:clap::clap:

I would have worried about too much heat rather than our winter cold, but they all look great.

West TN has much softer water than middle and east TN. West TN either is on Mississippi RW or sandstone based artesian wells. Middle and east TN are on limestone based waters and tend to be higher in hardness and salts in general.

 

[likespaphs]

really great photos!
thanks so much

 

[fbrem]

Your bog has done excellently:clap::clap:

I would have worried about too much heat rather than our winter cold, but they all look great.

West TN has much softer water than middle and east TN. West TN either is on Mississippi RW or sandstone based artesian wells. Middle and east TN are on limestone based waters and tend to be higher in hardness and salts in general.

Yeah, I agree, the heat is a real killer, only the S. rubras and alata, Drosera multifida and the pygmy sundews seem to grow well in July and August, everything else slows down dramatically, and yes the water here is really soft, but it smells like a swimming pool, although a little aging or carbon filtration easily takes care of that.

 

[Rick]

Yeah, I agree, the heat is a real killer, only the S. rubras and alata, Drosera multifida and the pygmy sundews seem to grow well in July and August, everything else slows down dramatically, and yes the water here is really soft, but it smells like a swimming pool, although a little aging or carbon filtration easily takes care of that.

Yup... Get the chlorine out.

How deep is the bog, and what kind of material did you use to fill it with?

Did you already detail the construction in another thread?

 

[paphioboy]

Wonderful CPs...!! :clap::clap::clap: Nice to see the VFTs producing 'summer leaves' now...

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

OMG!!! Those are wonderful photos! Thanks so much for posting the close ups. I have never seen an actual pitcher plant - I had no idea there was so much variety and beauty! Very cool! I particularly like Scarlet Belle. :clap::clap::clap:

Joanne

 

[fbrem]

It's so easy

Yup... Get the chlorine out.

How deep is the bog, and what kind of material did you use to fill it with?

Did you already detail the construction in another thread?

Nope this is the first thread about it, pretty new here. Construction was easy once the pit was carved out of the caly that is my front yard. It was as easy as digging an 18 inch deep kidney shaped pit, lining it with one sheet of 6mil plastic, filling it with 1/2 peat and 1/2 sand both from a landscaping store (about 1/2 cubic yard of each, I also added a few bags of perlite but wish I didn't 'cause it just floated to the top during the spring rains and made a mess of my rosetted and pygmy Drosera), then running my RO filter nonstop for a few days to wet it all down. After it was all boggy, I poked about 2 dozen tiny holes through the liner to let it slowly drain to avoid stagnant conditions at the roots as I found out my smaller older bog had developed a slightly foul smell after only a year, this one is still fresh smeling all the way down due to the increase water and air exchange. If I were to do it over again the only thing I would do differently would be to use multiple layers of plastic or a high quality rubber liner, but I'm not too worried 'cause I'll probably be moving in about 3-4 years from now, and not have put in the perlite. It was nerve racking overwintering them outside the first year in Illinois but I really from that how hardy some are, tough plants they are if they stay wet (a little drier in winter).

I got all the ideas for the bog and knowledge of growing carnivores from "The Savage Garden" by Peter D'Amato, the owner of California Carnivores. He sells some of the best plants money can buy, although there are other less expensive route to acquire CPs. One thing is that California Carnivores has a yearly clearance of Sarracenia every spring, large mature rhizomes for $8 each, the downside is that you have no choice, they just send you a mix of species and hybrids that they have to clear out to make room for new hybrids in their nursury. Thanks for the interest, although I;m far from an expert, I've only maintained a bog garden for about 3 years now I'd be happy to share anything I've learned if anyone is interested. CP's are great and most are fairly easy plant s to grow.

Forrest

 

[fbrem]

Wonderful CPs...!! :clap::clap::clap: Nice to see the VFTs producing 'summer leaves' now...

Yeah, the summer leaves are awesome and they are gluttons, but nothing compared to the 10's of thousands of insects one large Sarracenia can devour, I was amazed when I removed a leaf and split it open, literally 1000's of insects mostly flies but lots of roaches and a few beetles too, They are so awesome.

Forrest

 

[fbrem]

Thanks

OMG!!! Those are wonderful photos! Thanks so much for posting the close ups. I have never seen an actual pitcher plant - I had no idea there was so much variety and beauty! Very cool! I particularly like Scarlet Belle. :clap::clap::clap:

Joanne

Thanks so much, they have really gone beyong my expectations and blown me away this year. The leucophyllas are not too happy with the current high temps here in Memphis though, we're looking at at least three more days above 100F.

 

[Kevin]

The leucophyllas are not too happy with the current high temps here in Memphis though, we're looking at at least three more days above 100F.

Just curious why some of your plants are suffering from the heat. Most Sarracenia species are native from the Gulf States, through northern Florida, and north up the east coast. Doesn't it get hot there in the Summer? I would think it would be hotter than Memphis.

 

[JeanLux]

another nice job done Forrest :clap::clap:: posting all of those pretty pict.!!! Did you have to shoot them for this posting or do you have sort of pictures file of your plants?? Jean

 

[fbrem]

Just curious why some of your plants are suffering from the heat. Most Sarracenia species are native from the Gulf States, through northern Florida, and north up the east coast. Doesn't it get hot there in the Summer? I would think it would be hotter than Memphis.

I've thought that myself but every time I check temps we're consistently about 5F hotter here further inland. I'll be honest, this is the hottest place I've ever been, it can be quite miserable. It's most likely because my bog is only 18" deep so the plants can't root far enough down to tap into cooler ground water to bring up to the plant to keep it cool. Same thing happened last Aug. when temps get around 100F, only the ends of the new leaves on the leucophyllas, probably to tough to get cool water three feet above the ground to keep those developing leaves cool enough to avoid flopping over. If I give them an overhead watering with the hose it alleviates the condition for a few hours/minutes.

Forrest

Forrest

 

[fbrem]

another nice job done Forrest :clap::clap:: posting all of those pretty pict.!!! Did you have to shoot them for this posting or do you have sort of pictures file of your plants?? Jean

I take photos all the time and slap them in my plants folder in my external hard drive, all I had to do was upload them to Photobucket. Need to clean up the hard drive though, nothing is in order there and it has become like fishing for images.

Forrest

 

[NYEric]

Awesome job! Thanx for posting.

 

[TADD]

Just keep 'em wet, you can't overwater pitchers, vft, etc... Well grown garden I might add. I have a quite small collection compared to yours, but it is not a permanent set-up yet so Leuco's are my favs ( look a bit like fairrieanum) and Judith Hindle is a great hybrid.

Well done! You should get drosera intermedia it is a virtual weed here in Charlotte.

 

[Rick]

I've thought that myself but every time I check temps we're consistently about 5F hotter here further inland. I'll be honest, this is the hottest place I've ever been, it can be quite miserable. It's most likely because my bog is only 18" deep so the plants can't root far enough down to tap into cooler ground water to bring up to the plant to keep it cool. Same thing happened last Aug. when temps get around 100F, only the ends of the new leaves on the leucophyllas, probably to tough to get cool water three feet above the ground to keep those developing leaves cool enough to avoid flopping over. If I give them an overhead watering with the hose it alleviates the condition for a few hours/minutes.

Forrest

Forrest

I think so too about the heat. Going west towards Ark, TX, and OK can get even hotter at roughly the same lattitude (no cool breezes of the coast??). But just moving east to Nashville, you can drop 5 or so degrees.

 

[fbrem]

I think so too about the heat. Going west towards Ark, TX, and OK can get even hotter at roughly the same lattitude (no cool breezes of the coast??). But just moving east to Nashville, you can drop 5 or so degrees.

Don't tempt me. I need to finish grad school before I can think about moving where the climate suites my clothes.

Forrest

 

[swamprad]

Outstanding photos, Forrest.

 

[NYEric]

Just keep 'em wet, you can't overwater pitchers, vft, etc...

R U sure!?!?