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We
decided to mark the Autumn Equinox on the 21st September by planting
up our Bog Garden. Equinox means that day and night are both 12 hours
long- they are equal. After the 21 st September, the nights will get
longer than the days as we head into winter and the plants draw back
into their roots underground. In spring the days will get warmer and
longer and the flowers will grow back. Early Autumn is a good time
of year to plant flowers - to give the plants time to settle into
their new home before it gets too cold. If you are reading this and
it is now mid-Winter do not worry, wait until early Spring (March)
when the ground is warming up. Your bog garden will do just as well.
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1.
Setting up
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Choose the right spot for your bog garden. If you are lucky enough
to have an area of your garden that’s fairly wet, such as the edge
of a pond or stream then this is the ideal spot for a bog garden.
If you are planting in a container or a window box it is important
to try and give the plants the conditions that they like to keep them
happy and growing well. That means lining the wooden planter with
plastic (with just a few holes for drainage) so it stays nice and
soggy for these waterside plants. Remember to check regularly to see
if it needs watering, especially in hot, dry weather. |
2.
Make a Fairy Pool
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We thought we would include a little pool in our Bog Garden and grow
the plants that like really soggy conditions on the edges of the water.
We are hoping that it might attract frogs and toads as we see them
in the damp corners of our garden anyway so we sunk an old bowl into
the surface of the soil and put some pretty stones around for decoration.
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3.
Add
your plants
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All
the plants used are native wildflowers: that means they grow naturally
in Britain although some like the fritillaries are now very rare in
the wild. We chose plants that grow in places like damp meadows, on
the banks of streams on rivers or on the edges of ponds and lakes.
We chose a good selection that should start flowering in March and
have colourful flowers to attract wildlife right through until the
autumn.
It's a good idea to keep the plants in their pots and arrange them
on the surface of the soil before planting: that way you can work
out the best positions before starting to put them in. Dig a hole
big enough to hold the plant so that the soil is the same level as
it was in the pot, put the plant in gently and firm down the soil
around it
In
our garden we have planted:
Ragged Robin - has rose-red flowers from May – July with ragged
petals. It is attractive to bees and butterflies and some say to Fairies
too. It has been said that plants with the names Robin are linked
to the old story of Robin Goodfellow - a famous house elf.
Water Avens - has pinkish-purple flowers April to July which
hang down like bells >
Creeping Jenny or Lysimachia - Like its name, this plant creeps
and looks nice trailing over the edge of the planter. It has yellow
flowers similar to buttercups between May and July
Water Forget-me-not - This water version of the forget-me-not
grows in the edges of streams and pools and it is covered in tiny
blue flowers between May and September
Cyperus Sedge - Looks like a tall grass with bright green spears
for leaves and brown seed head flowers between June and August. Its
roots can spread very quickly and grow up to 120cm high so we planted
it in a buried plant pot to try and limit its growth!
Cuckoo Flower or Ladies Smock - The pretty white, lilac and
yellow flowers appear when the cuckoo is first heard around April/May.
It is attractive to bees and butterflies, it’s a particular favourite
of the caterpillars of the orange tip butterfly. The leaves can be
eaten like watercress.
Flag Iris - is a fairly common waterside plant with lovely
yellow flowers from May to July
Water Mint - We chose this for the fresh minty smell you get
when you rub the leaves. It is commonly found growing wild on the
edges of streams and ponds and has loads of pinky purple flowers all
Summer that attract bees and butterflies.
Marsh Marigold or King Cups Flowers - early in the year (from
March) . It has bright yellow flowers above shiny dark green leaves.
A good bee plant, it prefers a bit of shade to full sun so we’re planting
it under some taller plants. In Scotland Marsh Marigolds were once
woven onto magic hoops to protect milk from being spirited away and
in Ireland Marsh Marigold were picked on May Day to protect the cattle
from more mischievous fairies.
Cotton Grass - has lovely fluffy tufts like cotton wool from
June to August and grass-like foliage (leaves) Its’ favourite spot
is on the edge of water so we planted ours by our little pool.
Purple Loosestrie - has tall spikes of magenta-pink flowers
between May and August. It is seen growing wild in Britain alongside
rivers and attracts bees and butterflies. Sweet Violet - We
picked this plant for the beautiful smell of its flowers which appear
in April. It doesn’t need as wet conditions as the other flowers so
we planted it away from the really soggy patch in the middle.
Snakes Head Fritillary - has a bell or bonnet shaped flower
which are chequered reddish purple and appear in April/May. We planted
these bulbs in the corner banked up to make it a bit dryer.
These plants would also do well in a bog garden if you cannot get
all of the ones we used:
Valerian - Small white flowers in clusters on stems 30-40 cm
high. Flowers May - June
Hemp Agrimony - Small red/pink flowers in clusters on tall
stems. (100cm +) Flowers July - Sept Marsh
Cinquefoil - Purple red star shaped flowers from long stem
that creep along the ground. Flowers from June -July
Meadowsweet - Pretty pink /white 5-petal flowers on tall stems
(100-150cm) with a lovely honey scent. Garlands of Meadowsweet were
traditionally worn on Lammas Day - a Celtic festival in August that
celebrated the grain harvest and honoured the corn mother goddess.
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4.Water
Well
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When
you finish planting give everything a good drink of water.
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5.
Add your decorations
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Now all the flowers are in we can add a bit of decoration with some
pretty stones, marbles and glass beads, shells or broken pottery,
whatever you fancy. We decided to make some tiny Fairy paths between
the plants with stones and gravel. We’ll have to wait a little while
to see the flowers but we’re looking forward to enjoying this lovely
Bog Garden all next Spring and Summer! |
6.
Keep looking out for those fairies!
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We will post up photos of our garden throughout the year so keep
checking this site to see how it is growing.
Good luck with your garden and if you can send us a picture of what
you create we will put it up on the site. Like wise if you have
any questions about your own gardens please contact us.
Send pictures or questions via email to fairygardens@fairylandtrust.org
or post them to Fairyland Trust PO Box 14, Wells-next-the-Sea, NR23
1WB.
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