Bog Two! Almost Done

Well, I can’t say I’m not tired.  Two full days of work on this one so far, actually 1.5 days… we got some thunderstorms yesterday, so I couldn’t work… but today was gorgeous 27C and clear blue sky today.

Ok… so have you ever wondered what you do with 100 plants when you need to replace their habitat? Simple.  Dig them up and sit them on the patio. I give them a shower with the hose to keep them moist and they stay happy until their new home is ready!

So this bog had its own challenges.  One of the things is drainage of my lot.  Part of the area where my bog is placed, is a natural low area to drain the property.  Well building my bog there is like building a dam!  Then the water will then flow in my neighbors yard and into his pool… not happy! So…. I had to put in an under bog pipe to re-route my downspout into.  That way it will empty out past the bogs, and everyone stays happy!  Extra work, but worth it! (you can see the pipe on the right.

Well speaking of the neighbor and his pool, it was a huge coincidence that he and his wife were replacing their solar blanket.  He was just going to throw it out, so I figured I could use some of it.  For what? to line the bottom of the bog before I put the liner in. This layer acts as a protection from rocks and sharp things that may damage the liner.  Normally, I would put a layer of sand and then a layer of newspaper! However, this seemed a much more efficient way to do it… and it was free!  I got enough to do bog three too 🙂

Well from here, you know the rest of the story. I put in the liner, put in some water and danced around in the peat moss (catching odd looks from the neighbor behind us who was on his deck skimming his pool)  to get it wet!

And here is where I left it!  I ran out of steam, so tomorrow after work… more moss and more stomping and more weird looks!

Funny, I had an odd thought as I was dumping these bags of moss into my “man made” bogs.  Here I am, working so hard to create a habitat for my plants, using peat moss, that is mined from the very habitats that plays host the plants that I grow, thus destroying their habitat! Does that make me a hypocrite?

Anyway… that’s it for today… I’m pooped!

CJM