THE BOG GARDEN. 269 



to be first laid in, and the whole must be filled with good peat soil, 

 the surface being raised into uneven banks and hillocks, with large 

 pieces of sandstone imbedded in it, so as to afford drier and 

 wetter spots. The size and form of this garden may be varied at 

 discretion ; it should be in an exposed situation ; the back may be 

 raised with a rocky bank of stones imbedded in peat, and the moisture, 

 ascending by capillary action, will make the position a charming one 

 for Ferns and numberless other peat-loving plants. It is in every 

 way desirable that a small trickle of water should constantly flow 

 through the bog ; ten or twelve gallons daily will be sufficient, but 

 if this cannot be arranged it may be kept filled by hand. Such a 

 bog may be bordered by a very low wall of flints or stones, built 

 with mortar, diluted with half its bulk of road-sand and leaf-mould, 

 and having a little earth on the top ; the moisture will soon cause this 

 to be covered with moss, and Ferns and all kinds of wall-plants will 

 thrive on it. 



Where space will permit, a much larger area may be converted 

 into bog and rockwork intermingled, the surface being raised or 

 depressed at various parts, so as to afford stations for more or less 

 moisture-loving plants. Large stones should be freely used on the 

 surface, so as to form mossy stepping-stones ; and many plants will 

 thrive better in the chinks between the stones than on the surface of 

 the peat. It is not necessary to render water-tight the whole of such 

 a large area. A channel of water about 6 inches deep, with drain- 

 pipes and bricks at the bottom, may be led to and fro or branched 

 over the surface, the bends or branches being about 3 feet apart. The 

 whole, when covered with peat, will form an admirable bog, the spaces 

 between the channels forming drier portions, in which various plants 

 will thrive vigorously. 



Perhaps the best place for an artificial bog is on sloping ground. 

 The water flows in at the top, and the surface must be rendered 

 water-tight with Portland cement or concrete. Contour or level lines 

 should then be traced on the whole surface at distances of about 

 3 feet apart, and a ridge, two bricks in height, should be cemented 

 along each of the horizontal lines. These ridges, which must be 

 perfectly level, serve to hold the water, and the surplus escapes over 

 the top to the next lower level. Two-inch drain tiles, covered with 

 coarse stones, should be laid along each ridge to keep the channel 

 open, and a foot of peat should be thrown over the whole. Before 

 adding the peat, ridges may be built on the surface, the stones 

 being built together with peat in the interstices. These ridges 

 need not follow the horizontal lines. The positions thus formed are 

 adapted both to grow and to display Ferns and alpine bog plants to 

 advantage. 



