South Carolina South Carolina Mini-BogsMini-Bogs

Mike Creel, Lexington, South Carolina mikeacreel@yahoo.com

September19

2008

Credits and BiographyThis program on bog gardening in South Carolina was prepared by Mike Creel of Lexington, South Carolina, and presented in a workshop format as part of the program during "Off the Beaten Path," a symposium of the South Carolina Native Plant Society held Saturday October 17, 2009, at Poinsett State Park near Wedgefield, South Carolina.

Bog Gardening with Mike Creel was presented as a 1-5 p.m. concurrent workshop among other activities. Participants learned how to plan and prepare a bog garden. Mike narrate this PowerPoint presentation on the how-to of bog building, siting, planting and maintenance. Some small established container bogs can be viewed and one mini-bog will be planted. Handouts included lists of plants to use, plants to avoid and plant sources. Mike included a brief demonstration of CreelWay propagation, showing how to stick cuttings and plant seeds outdoors in homemade mini-greenhouses made from recycled materials.

Mike Creel, a journalist by trade, worked more than 35 years for South Carolina’s natural resources agencies. He has written many articles about native plants for South Carolina Wildlife magazine. In the early 1980s he began to realize that nurseries were not propagating many of the best natives, so he invented simple new methods called CreelWay propagation, which used recycled materials and worked outdoors with no greenhouse. He discovered an entirely new native azalea (Rhododendron eastmanii published as species in 1999) and has a growing list of new native varieties to his credit. He conducted highly popular propagation workshops at Cullowhee in 2004, 2005 2006 and 2009. For the past few years he and his wife Dena have extended their interests to growing bog plants and making both container “minibogs” and one large in-ground bog.

Plan Your Mini-Bog

• Study books, articles, websites

• Find a suitable container & sunny site

• Find media - pine mini-nuggets, coarse sand

• Find sources of bog plant species

• Avoid invasive plants, like cattails and horsetail

• Check nurseries for carnivorous plants, etc.

• Get container, media & plants before planting

It started with a Bird BathJanuary 27, 2006

Mini-Bog BeginsApril 4, 2007

Mini-Bog’s First Two flowersMini-Bog’s First Two flowersMay 15, 2007May 15, 2007

Minibog shining June 28,2007

Mini-Bog Growing StrongerMini-Bog Growing StrongerAugust 13, 2007August 13, 2007

Sarracenia Minor October 1, 2007

Mini-Bog Joins a CommunityMini-Bog Joins a CommunityOctober 3, 2007October 3, 2007

Mini-bog Spiranthes ShowMini-bog Spiranthes ShowOctober 27, 2007October 27, 2007

Stokesia Mary Gregory DebutsJune 7, 2009

Hymenocallis ShowJuly 5, 2008

First AutumnSept. 19, 2008

Mini-Bog Year 3 Bog ButtonsMay 27, 2009

Another A

utumn S

howS

eptember 25, 2009

Slowing down for WinterOctober 6, 2009

Planting Your Mini-Bog• In full sun for best growth or forested edge

• Container 3 - 5 " deep filled to brim, drain plugged

• Mix 3 to 4 parts of pine bark pieces (2.5” or less) with one part of coarse, washed sand

• Wet mini-bog thoroughly, let settle several days

• Place plants shallow, near the surface, water in

• A community of pitcherplant, sundews, butterworts, bog buttons and small orchids is attractive

• Use long fiber sphagnum (wetted) for ground cover

• Shade Mudflower (Micranthemum umbrosum) is also a good ground cover

• Plant well before frost so plants adjust outdoors

Choosing a Container

Shallow and wide neededDepth 3 to 5 inches maximumAny drain hole pluggedMedia filled to top, just overWet, soak several days

Choosing and Mixing MediaSeek local sources of bark and sandBark varies in size, wood fiber, compostBark 1.5 to 2.5” with little wood fiberSand must be clean, coarse, washedThree parts bark to one part sandA little mushroom compost in mix is OKWetted media must soak, settle a few days before planting

Pine Bark Mini-nuggets VARYEvergreen Mini-NuggetsNatures Choice Mini-Nuggets

Sims Bark Pine Mulch Coarse washed builders sand

Plant Selection for Mini-bogs

• Avoid woody, invasive or large-growing ones• Choose ones that clump, expand slowly, stay low• For most pitcherplants one is enough• Buy plants from reputable sources• Don’t poach from wild bogs and wetlands• Gather seeds or small plants with permission• Share the offspring of your bog, don’t hoard• Learn all you can and teach others• Plant only those hardy for your growing zone• Learn to effectively propagate

Most Pitcherplants are hardy here

Sarracenia minorDwarf Pitcherplant

Venus Flytrap

Dionaea miscipula

A meat-eater with no close relatives

A bug catcher with super glue

Midleaf Sundew

Drosera intermedia

Stokesia laevis

Try Stokes Asters for multi-color array

Marsh Pinks clump and seed

Sabbatia species

Chaptalia tomentosa

Nurseries need Sun Bonnets

Barbara’s Buttons - Marshallia

Orange Milkwort, Threadleaf Sundew

Rose Pogonia Orchid

Grass Pink Orchid – Calapogon

Savannah Sneezeweed- Helenium vernale

Pipewort forms clumps

Eriocaulon deangulare, compressum

Spiderlily - Hymenocallis

Cardinal Flower

Lobelia cardinalis

Macbridea caroliniana

Smooth Meadow Beauty

Rhexia alifanus

South Carolina’s Wild Bogs• Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge in Chesterfield County

has beautiful bog areas e.g. Oxpen Meadow

• Shealey Pond Heritage Preserve in Lexington County harbors three pitcherplants species and more

• Lynchburg Savannah in Lee County has wetlands with dwarf pitcherplants and many bog species

• State heritage preserves from mountains to sea are described in the South Carolina Nature Viewing Guide

• Many protected state, federal and other areas across SC are open to visitors for observation

• Such places are great for education and photography

Shealey’s Pond Heritage Preserve

Sarracenia purpurea at Shealey Pond

Lynchburg Savannah Preserve

Sandhills National Wildlife Reserve

Sarracenia flava at Sandhills NWR

South Carolina’s Nature Viewing Guide

South Carolina’s

NatureViewingGuide

Call SCDNR’s Wildlife Shop

------------------- 1-888-644-WILD (9453) - it's $15

Other Folks Container Bogs My first - now immovable - container bog started in early 2007 was a failed concrete bird bath. Since then I have made more “mini-bogs” for myself and for others like my son Allen, my friend Ellen Blundy and my sister-in-law Barbara Crosby. Each one is unique, no two alike, and all have been successful with minimal care. Plants were the offspring of earlier bog efforts. I included photos of effective container bogs that I did not make, like the extensive ones of Steffan Ploszak near Charlotte and a shallow birdbath bog at my friend Stanley Goff’s home on Black Creek in Lexington County who has many in-ground bogs.

Backyard of Steffan Ploszak near Charlotte

Mini-Bogs at my son’s Patio Home

Ellen Blundy’s First Mini-Bog

My sister-in-law’s fountain garden

A shallow birdbath pitcherplant bog

My smaller mini-bogs

Keeping Up Container Bogs• You are now gardening on a NEW planet

• Typical EARTH gardening is not allowed

• Potting soils, fertilizers, chemicals not allowed

• The planting media and container are priority

• Once weekly clean water or rain is needed

• Overly-chlorinated water can be harmful

• Regularly rout out weedy plants

• Learn to recognize good seedlings, runners

• Divide & share over-crowded plants

• Study native bogs, read and think

Bog upkeep, weeding, propagation• Add clean water once a week if no rain

• Learn to recognize weeds & rout them out

• Learn to recognize babies, seedlings, runners

• Divide plants grown too large, share them

• Let desirable plants drop seed

• Collect good seeds too & share them

• Do not introduce pests like violets, irises

• Let biennials like Orange Milkwort drop seeds

• Observe and photograph regularly

• Invite and guide visitors to your bog

Butterwort and Babies

Pinguicula primufolia

A closer view of Butterwort baby

Seed pod of Rose Pogonia Orchid

Spiranthes cernua flower & seeds

Living Sphagnum Moss

Shade Mudflower – Micranthemum umbrosum

Mudflower and Sphagnum

Bog Critters Will Find It!• Bogs large and small attract a variety of wildlife

• Flying insects like dragonflies are most obvious in the air and perched seeking prey and mates

• Amphibians like frogs, toads and salamanders come to eat and reproduce

• All sorts of critters breed and reproduce there

• Birds visit to collect bugs and nest materials

Dragonflies abound

Dragonfly takes risky perch

Bumblebee rests on Stokes Aster

Cricket Frog uses camouflageCricket Frog uses camouflage

Our Large In-Ground BogWhen my increasingly large collection of bog plants in floating pots got too large for the family garden pond to accommodate, we had to do something, so my wife and I converted a barren area behind the pond to a rubber lined artificial bog which has now become a joy to watch, maintain, photograph and add things too.

In February 2007 my wife and I started digging and leveling 12 inch deep hole as well as raising the sloping area around the bog area to make it level with the garden pond. The concluding several slide in this program illustrate the building project and the early maturing of the plants moved to the new large bog.

Poor Ground behind Pond

April 25,2007

Crowded Pond Prior to Bog

September 16, 2007

February 15, 2008

Guardian Crane Seems Crowded

March 6, 2009

Site Readied for New Bog

Flagstones anchor rubber liner

March 6, 2009

Now to add Media and Water

March 6, 2009

Pond and Bog A Perfect FitPond and Bog A Perfect Fit

April 13, 2009

Walk borders Bog and Pond

April 17, 2009

Guardian Crane has room now

May 5, 2009

Growth shows in bog residents

August 6, 2009

Low view of Pond and Bog

August 19, 2009

Rain brings temporary flood

September 14, 2009

Floating Plant Buoys• Buy Great Stuff for large cracks spray insulation

• Drill extra 3/4 inch holes in rimmed rigid plastic pot

• Turn pot upside-down on wax paper on a flat, level surface

• Spray a ring of foam below pot rim building a collar couple of inches (or more) deep and wide

• Do several pots at one time to use up all foam in the can. It is difficult to get the spray to work the second time. .

• Wear safety glasses, use gloves and wear old clothes, because the foam is very sticky

• Let foam dry overnight on the paper. Once dry it can be shaped to a more uniform size (underside mostly) if needed. Foam cures to a golden color in the sun.

Buoys for floating Mini-Bogs

Plant Buoys in the Garden Pond

A Visit to the Nursery for bog plants• Some nurseries carry bog & carnivorous plants.

• Most can order such plants at buyer request

• Pitcherplants (Sarracenias) are the most popular

• Some plants offered have pest potential

• Some plants offered are greenhouse only, not hardy

• Buy smaller plants to save money

• Buy pots containing multiple plants, divide later

• Look for new cultivars of species & hybrids

• Ask if plants are already outdoor conditioned or if they came directly from a greenhouse

Pitcherplants at Woodley’s NurseryColumbia, South Carolina

Judith Hindle Sarracenia Hybrid

Sarracenia purpurea montana

Venus Flytraps at Woodley’s

Tropical Sundew - greenhouse only

Nepenthes is greenhouse only

Carnivores at Woodley’s Nursey

Flytrap catches bug

Now Let’s Build a Mini-bog! I brought along a few established mini-bogs from my yard, including one I could hardly lift. Now let’s build a mini-bog here, and the winner of a drawing will take the finished bog home.The six pages at the end of this program are workshop notes (for printing out).I added a few photos taken during the workshop by a participant.

Powerpoint Remarks

A CreelWay Domepot for Cuttings

Planting Container Bog – plants ready

Planting a Container BogThe Crowd Gets an Education

Now the Venus Flytrap & Butterwort

Final Touch – Adding Live Sphagnum

PLANTS FOR CONTAINER BOGS Even the best native plant nurseries have a limited selection of plants for container bogs. But you can find native wetland and bog plants in big box stores. All varieties of native Stokes Aster (Stokesia laevis) are good bog plants. When seeking residents for your bog don't disturb wild bogs. Sometimes seeds may be collected with permission. Plant rescues are an acceptable opportunity for acquiring material. No woody plants are recommended though many shrubs and trees will thrive in bog situations and become too large for a community mini-bog unless grown alone. Spirea tomentosa is one example of a woody shrub that should have its own pot, which attracts seeds from smaller nearby bog plants. Avoid wetland iris species, cattails, violets, horsetail (Equisetum), Pickerelweed (Pontederia) and other aquatics. Dichromena latifolia (White Star Grass) is terrible. Most Rhexia species (Meadow Beauty) are too spreading in container bogs. I am testing Golden Clubs.Carnivorous plants hardy in the S.C. outdoors include all species of native pitcherplant (Sarracenia), Sundews (Drosera), Butterwort (Pinquicula) named varieties of Venus Flytrap. Reputable nurseries sell plants grown from tissue culture. A blue-flowered butterwort named Pinquicula primulifora is often found at the big box stores like Lowes. At nurseries select congested pots, which are easy to divide

The next page is just a beginning list of the South Carolina native plants that can be grown and propagated in container bogs. I keep discovering new ones and testing them for their peskiness, show and longevity

Species for Container Bogs In South Carolina Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) varieties

Pitcherplants (Sarracenia)Yellow pitcher plant (Sarracenia flava)Purple pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea)Red pitcherplant (Sarracenia rubra)Dwarf Pitcherplant (Sarracenia minor)White-top PItcherplant (S. leucophylla)Parrot Pitcherplant (Sarracenia psittacina)Hybrid Sarracenias (varieties increasing)Sundew (Drosera intermedia, filiformis, etc.) Butterwort (Pinguicula primufolia, caerulea, lutea, pumila, others)Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)Blue lobelia (Lobelia sylphitica and others)Barbara's Buttons (Marshallia graminifolia, grandiflora)Bog Buttons or Hat Pins (Eriocaulon deangulare, compressum)Savannah Sneezeweed (Helenium vernale)MacBride's Mint, (Macbridea caroliniana)White Birds In The Nest (Macbridea alba)

Shade Mudflower (Micranthemum umbrosum) good groundcoverOrange Milkwort (Polygala lutea, biennial) Marsh pink (Sabbatical species)Bog Ironweed (Vernonia acaulis)Smooth Meadow Beauty (Rhexia alifanus)Yellow Meadow Beauty (Rhexia lutea))MOST RHEXIAS ARE TOO STOLONIFEROUSColic root (Aletris lutea) Yellow summer flowers Yellow candyroot (Polygala lutea) Honeycomb Head (Balduina uniflora) Carolina Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia Caroliniana)

Native OrchidsWhite-fringed Orchid (Platanthera blephariglottis)Orange-fringed Orchid (Platanthera. ciliaris)Club-spur Orchid - P. clavellata)Grass Pink Orchid - Calopogon tuberosus Rose Pogonia - Pogonia ophioglossoides Pink Lady's Slipper - Cypripedium acauleDO NOT USE ENDANGERED ORCHIDS

Container Bog CalendarPlanning----------------------------------------------Study books, articles, websites about bog gardening, carnivorous plantsFind a suitable container or site - shallow pansy planter, bird bath top, etc.Find local source of media components - pine bark mini nuggets, coarse washed sandFind sources of carnivorous and bog plant species that are not invasive, Make a listAvoid woody plants, cattails and horsetail (Equisetum) speciesCheck for carnivorous and wetland plants with local nurseries, local hobby clubsAcquire container, media and plants shortly before plantingPlanting---------------------------------------------Time your planting well before frost to allow plants time to acclimate outdoorsSite in fullest sun outdoor for best growth, edge of forest suitableContainer should be 3 - 4 " deep filled to brim, any drain hole pluggedMix 3 to 4 parts of pine bark pieces (2" or less) with one part of coarse, washed sandSome bog gardens are 50 percent coarse sand mixed with 50 percent peat mossWet mini-bog thoroughly, let set for several days for bark to fully absorb water

Place plants in shallow holes, perched near the surface of media, water inA community of pitcherplant, sundews, butterworts, bog buttons. is attractiveLong fiber sphagnum moss (wetted) is good for a ground cover,Shade Mudflower (Micranthemum umbrosum) is also a good ground coverUpkeep----------------------------------------------------Water bog once weekly if there has been no rain, No fertilizer is neededInspect regularly for disturbance by animals and repairCheck for invasive pest species, pull up without disturbing planCheck for seedlings and offshoots of desirable plants, use or shareTrim off fully dead stems, collect seed heads or allow to dropTake photos through the seasons, look for insect, amphibian visitorsLook for seeds, seedlings and natural offshoots of plants from your bogShare new plants & seeds with others, plant more bogsJoin societies for gardening with carnivorous plants and wetland speciesBog creatures a bonus, Backyard bogs restore lost diversity

GOOD READING & ORGANIZATIONS University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, carnivorous and bog plants, Dr. Larry Mellichamp<http://gardens.uncc.edu/garden-galleries/mcmillan-greenhouse.html>Creating a Bog Garden - Sustainable Landscapes, Mississippi State University Extension service<http://msucares.com/lawn/landscape/sustainable/bog.html>Building a Pitcher Plant Bog by The Georgia Endangered Plant Stewardship Network , Georgia Botanical Garden <http://www.plantdel.com/Tony/pitcher.html>Best Carnivorous Plants Photo gallery, Czechoslovakia, many American species <http://www.bestcarnivorousplants.org/fotogalerie/menu.html>Carnivorous Plants Database <http://www.omnisterra.com/bot/cp_home.cgi>International Carnivorous Plant Society Fact Pages <http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html>Carnivorous Plant Newsletter, official publication of the International Carnivorous Plant Society - the largest carnivorous plant society in the world. Annually 130 pages of original information for the public. <http://www.carnivorousplants.org/cpn/cpnmain.html>

Sample articles from the Carnivorous Plant Newsletter <http://www.carnivorousplants.org/cpn/samples/samplemain.htm>Making A Bog Garden <http://www.ipcc.ie/boggarden.html>Making a Bog Garden © 2000 Rob Sacilotto <http://www.pitcherplant.com/bog_making.html>Building a Sphagnum Bog Garden by Roberta and Fred Case<http://www.orchidmall.com/general/sphagbog.htm Build a simple bog garden <http://www.rainyside.com/archives/bog_garden.html>Chapter 8: A Bog Garden by by C. Colston Burrell from The Natural Water Garden, sold by Brooklyn Botanical Garden http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/design/handbooks/watergarden/8.htmlCarnivorous Plants Photo finder <http://www.cpphotofinder.com/>From the Backyard Gardener Site <http://www.backyardgardener.com/bog/index.html>The Curious World Carnivorous Plants: A comprehensive Guide to Their Biology and Cultivation by Wilhelm Barthlott, Stefan Porembski, Rudiger Seine and Inge Theisen, Timber Press, 2007Pitcher Plants of the Americas by Stewart McPherson, 2006The Savage Garden: Cultivating carnivorous plants by Peter D’Amato, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA, 1998Carnivorous Plants of the United States and Canada by Donald E. Schnell, Timber Press, Portland, OR, 2002

Nursery Sources available to South CarolinaNiche Gardens, 1111 Dawson Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 Phone: 919-967-0078 || fax: 919-967-4026 http://www.nichegardens.com/

University of North Carolina Charlotte Botanical Gardens have plants for sale at their build-a-bog-dish-garden workshops and spring plant sale <http://gardens.uncc.edu/>

Carolina Carnivorous Gardens, Charlotte, NC, David Crump at 704-458-8538 has nice Sarracenias – species and hybrids, sundews and Venus’-flytraps.

Carnivorous Plant Connection Email JoshLynch@gmail.com <http://www.cp-connection.com/>

Plant Delights Nursery, Inc., 9241 Sauls Road, Raleigh, NC 27603 Phone:(919) 772-4794 Fax:(919) 662-0370 <http://www.plantdelights.com/> Sarracenia 12, Venus Flytrap

Kyle's Carnivorous Plants - Kyle Rollins, Greer, South Carolina <kyle@kyleskillerplants.com> <www.kyleskillerplants.com> (864) 895-8744 2130 Noe Rd, Greer, SC 29651

Aquascapes Unlimited, Inc., P.O. Box 364 • Pipersville, PA 18947, Phone: 215-766-8151, Fax: 215-766-8986 E-Mail: wetland@comcat.com <http://www.aquascapesunlimited.com/>

Flytrap Farm in Supply, NC 1-866-VFT-FARM <http://flytrapfarm.com/home.php>

Woodley's Garden Center, 10015 Two Notch Rd., Columbia, SC (803) 788-1487 <http://www.woodleygardencenter.com/>

Botanique nursery: Rob Sacilotto, 387 Pitcher Plant Ln., Stanardsville, VA 22973. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you want a reply. Retail orders under $200 no longer accepted. E-mail: rob@pitcherplant.com website <http://www.pitcherplant.com/>

Live Sphagnum Moss- Carolina Biological Supply Company is a good source. You can reach them at 2700 York Road, Burlington, N.C. 27215; (800) 334-5551

Meadowview Biological Research Station in Woodford, Virginia, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and restoring pitcher plant bogs in Maryland and Virginia. A beginner’s package of one pitcher plant, a Venus flytrap, and a sundew is available for $15 from its Web site <www.pitcherplant.org> (840) 633-4336.

California Carnivores, Sebastopol, CA. (707) 824-0433.<www.californiacarnivores.com>. (No catalog)

PLANTING A CONTAINER BOG Select an all-weather pot or container that is wide non-draining, shallow non-draining and 3 to 5 inches deep. I have successfully used pansy planters (with the drain hole plugged), birdbaths (with or without the pedestal). The single drain hole in shallow wide terracotta pots can be plugged using a rubber chair leg foot. If a drain hole in a plastic pot is too small to easily plug I enlarge the hole with a 7/8 inch diameter cylindrical hole saw, which is perfect for the smallest rubber chair foot. When choosing plants think scale, rate of growth and spreading nature (avoid long running plants, except for orchids) when planting as you do not want one plant to dominate the container in height or width. Many bog plants are rather miniature, particularly sundews and butterworts. Clumping plants like Sarracenias (pitcherplants), Eriocaulon (Bog Buttons), Marshallia (Barbara's Buttons) and Lobelia (Cardinal Flowers and Blue Lobelias) should be regularly divided in late fall or winter. Greatly avoid native Horsetail (Equisetum) also called Scouring Rush. Using a large hand trowel mix your media in a separate container. My personal successful recipe for bog soil is three parts pine bark mini-nuggets with one part clean, coarse, washed sand, often called builders sand. Do not use beach sand or sandbox sand. I bought coarse sand from a local mine near Lexington, hauling it in my pickup. When building our large in-ground bog in Spring 2009 I could not find the bark product I wanted, so I used three parts pine bark mulch from Walmart, mixed with the coarse sand. The bark mulch contained very little sapwood and had small enough pieces. It too has worked perfectly. I think the acidity in enhanced by the decomposition of the pine bark pieces. Bog gardening expert Dr. Larry Mellichamp at the University of North Carolina Charlotte recommends a bog media mix of 50 to 60 percent Canadian Peat, moistened, to 40 to 60 percent clean sharp sand. He used pool filter sand in 50 pound bags from Home Depot. He recommends adding some compost or organic material for fertility. He fertilizes a little at a much reduced rate of 2 teaspoons Miracid (which is acidic) to one gallon of water once a month. Keep the plants very moist - not saturated - but wet. Fill the non-draining container to the brim, slightly overfilling, and insert plants high, removing most of the original potting soil so roots are exposed. Put tallest growing plants in the center or back side so shorter ones are visible. Water the plants in. Add a groundcover around plants of well-wetted long-fiber sphagnum moss, sold in a small bale (Mosser-Lee one brand), not Canadian peat. In time the moss will regenerate. Native shade mudflower (Micranthemum umbrosum) also works well as a prostrate ground cover. If you can collect your own live sphagnum, take it in small clumps and plant shallow at the media surface on sand where the sphagnum will fill in gradually.

UPKEEP OF CONTAINER BOGSMy several container bogs and large in-ground bog receive regular watering from both rain and our 100 foot well, which has acidic water. But the two container bogs at my son's patio home just get rain and lawn irrigation from a commercial source, containing chlorine. A tiered fountain bog at my sister-in-law's home also received a combination of rain and treated drinking water. Bogs in all three yards thrive with little care. Look out for violets and St. Johns Worts (Hypericum). Watch Yellow-eyed grass (Xyris tortifolia), sedges and grasses as they tend to take over.

Divide and share both plants and seeds as needed to keep your mini-bog from becoming overcrowded. Learn to identify and remove undesirable weedy plants, shrubs and trees. Pull out obviously spreading or whelming grasses and the attractive round-leaved Marsh Pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata). Learn to recognize pesty perennials like the sedges and seedling trees. Remove them when small. Centella asiatica is also a significant pest.

Learn to recognize the "new gold" in your mini-bog, the seedlings and offshoots of highly-desirable species, like pitcherplants, sundews, even Venus Flytraps. Let your Polygala lutea drop seed as the big plant will die, being biennial. Move new plants to a new bog and share them with your friends