South Carolina
Mini-Bogs
September
19
2008
Mike Creel, Lexington, South Carolina
mikeacreel@yahoo.com
Credits and Biography
This 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
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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 Bath
January 27, 2006
Mini-Bog Begins
April 4, 2007
Mini-Bog’s First Two flowers
May 15, 2007
Minibog shining June 28,2007
Mini-Bog Growing Stronger
August 13, 2007
Sarracenia Minor October 1, 2007
Mini-Bog Joins a Community
October 3, 2007
Mini-bog Spiranthes Show
October 27, 2007
Stokesia Mary Gregory Debuts
June 7, 2009
Hymenocallis Show
July 5, 2008
First Autumn
Sept. 19, 2008
Mini-Bog Year 3 Bog Buttons
May 27, 2009
Another Autumn Show
September 25, 2009
Slowing down for Winter
October 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 needed
Depth 3 to 5 inches maximum
Any drain hole plugged
Media filled to top, just over
Wet, soak several days
Choosing and Mixing Media
Seek local sources of bark and sand
Bark varies in size, wood fiber, compost
Bark 1.5 to 2.5” with little wood fiber
Sand must be clean, coarse, washed
Three parts bark to one part sand
A little mushroom compost in mix is OK
Wetted media must soak, settle a few days
before planting
Pine Bark Mini-nuggets VARY
Natures Choice Mini-Nuggets
Evergreen Mini-Nuggets
Sims Bark Pine Mulch
Coarse washed builders sand
Plant Selection for Mini-bogs
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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 minor
Dwarf Pitcherplant
A meat-eater with no close relatives
Venus Flytrap
Dionaea miscipula
A bug catcher with super glue
Midleaf Sundew
Drosera intermedia
Try Stokes Asters for multi-color array
Stokesia laevis
Marsh Pinks clump and seed
Sabbatia species
Nurseries need Sun Bonnets
Chaptalia tomentosa
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
Call SCDNR’s Wildlife
Shop
------------------1-888-644-WILD
(9453) - it's $15
South Carolina’s Nature Viewing Guide
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
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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
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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 camouflage
Our Large In-Ground Bog
When 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
Guardian Crane Seems Crowded
February 15, 2008
Site Readied for New Bog
March 6, 2009
Flagstones anchor rubber liner
March 6, 2009
Now to add Media and Water
March 6, 2009
Pond 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
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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
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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
Columbia, South Carolina
Pitcherplants at Woodley’s Nursery
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 Bog
The 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 groundcover
Orange 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 STOLONIFEROUS
Colic root (Aletris lutea) Yellow summer flowers
Yellow candyroot (Polygala lutea)
Honeycomb Head (Balduina uniflora)
Carolina Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia
Caroliniana)
Native Orchids
White-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 acaule
DO NOT USE ENDANGERED ORCHIDS
Container Bog Calendar
Planning---------------------------------------------Study books, articles, websites about bog gardening,
carnivorous plants
Find a suitable container or site - shallow pansy planter,
bird bath top, etc.
Find local source of media components - pine bark mini
nuggets, coarse washed sand
Find sources of carnivorous and bog plant species that
are not invasive, Make a list
Avoid woody plants, cattails and horsetail (Equisetum)
species
Check for carnivorous and wetland plants with local
nurseries, local hobby clubs
Acquire container, media and plants shortly before
planting
Planting--------------------------------------------Time your planting well before frost to allow plants time
to acclimate outdoors
Site in fullest sun outdoor for best growth, edge of forest
suitable
Container should be 3 - 4 " deep filled to brim, any drain
hole plugged
Mix 3 to 4 parts of pine bark pieces (2" or less) with one
part of coarse, washed sand
Some bog gardens are 50 percent coarse sand mixed
with 50 percent peat moss
Wet 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 in
A community of pitcherplant, sundews, butterworts, bog
buttons. is attractive
Long fiber sphagnum moss (wetted) is good for a ground
cover,
Shade Mudflower (Micranthemum umbrosum) is also a
good ground cover
Upkeep---------------------------------------------------Water bog once weekly if there has been no rain, No
fertilizer is needed
Inspect regularly for disturbance by animals and repair
Check for invasive pest species, pull up without disturbing
plan
Check for seedlings and offshoots of desirable plants, use
or share
Trim off fully dead stems, collect seed heads or allow to
drop
Take photos through the seasons, look for insect,
amphibian visitors
Look for seeds, seedlings and natural offshoots of plants
from your bog
Share new plants & seeds with others, plant more bogs
Join societies for gardening with carnivorous plants and
wetland species
Bog 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/mcmillangreenhouse.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.html
Carnivorous 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, 2007
Pitcher Plants of the Americas by Stewart McPherson, 2006
The Savage Garden: Cultivating carnivorous plants by Peter
D’Amato, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA, 1998
Carnivorous Plants of the United States and Canada by Donald E.
Schnell, Timber Press, Portland, OR, 2002
Nursery Sources available to South Carolina
Niche 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 BOGS
My 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 highlydesirable 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