When talking about bog plants, one immediately thinks of wet bogs, but the plants sometimes have completely different needs. This article describes which species are involved.

In a nutshell

  • Bog plants need acidic soil
  • they don't like forcing wet soil
  • the soil must be permanently acidic or repeatedly acidified
  • popular ornamental plants belong to this group, as well as berry bushes and some
  • pond plants
  • can be cultivated well in tubs

What are bog plants?

These are not always plants that prefer high soil moisture. Instead, it is about plant species that grow in acidic soil. It can be perennials, subshrubs, shrubs or grasses. For healthy growth, the pH must be between 4 and 6 at most. If it is higher, the plants will get sick. They can no longer absorb enough iron and form chlorosis. This leaf phenomenon is exacerbated by too much lime in the irrigation water.

Notice: Chlorosis is an anomaly in leaf coloration in which the leaves fade and only the leaf veins remain green. The plant grows stunted overall.

Soil for a sour bed

In order for the ericaceous plants to thrive in the long term, it is necessary to give them the right growing conditions right from the start. This means that the soil is already acidified during planting if it is not naturally acidic. For this purpose, the planting pit is excavated as large as possible. The excavated material is mixed with bark mulch, needle mulch or coffee grounds. A pH value test shows when the substrate is acidic enough. If you don't want to go through this trouble, you can fill the planting hole with the right soil from the garden store.

Plants for dry bog beds from A to H

Azaleas (Deciduous and Japanese Rhododendrons)

Kaempferi Azalea, Source: Daderot, Rhododendron kaempferi - Arnold Arboretum - DSC06698, Edited from Plantopedia, CC0 1.0
  • Appearance: Depending on the variety, shrubs are between 40 and over 150 cm high, coarse, lush green, ovoid leaves, shallow roots
  • Flowers: March to May, single and double flowers in white, yellow, orange, pink, red, violet
  • Care: Planting in semi-shade under trees, sheltered from the wind, fertilize with horn shavings in spring, water requirement is high, avoid waterlogging, remove faded flowers
  • Varieties: Rustica azaleas, Genter azaleas, Mollis azaleas, Occidentalis azaleas, Viscosa azaleas, Knap Hill azaleas, Arendsii azaleas, Aronense azaleas, Kurume azaleas, Kaempferi azaleas, Kiusianum azaleas

Blueberries (Vaccinium)

  • Appearance: medium-sized shrubs, ovate leaves, red in autumn, hardy, flat-rooted
  • Care: sunny location, dig deep and wide planting pit, several shrubs increase yield and fruit quality, keep moist, mulch, fertilize in spring, cut regularly
  • Flowers and harvest: white bell-shaped flowers in spring, the blue fruits ripen in late summer to early autumn
  • Varieties: Forest blueberry, cultivated blueberry, various hybrids

Heather (Erica)

  • Appearance: evergreen, low shrubs, ground cover, small, narrow leaves
  • Flowers: January to September, small bell-shaped flowers in white, pink, red, long, racemose inflorescences
  • Care: sunny to semi-shady locations, do not let them dry out, provide organic fertilizer in spring, cut back after flowering, mulch with acidic material, winter protection makes sense depending on the variety
  • Species: winter heather, summer heather, gray heather

Plants for dry bog beds from K to R

Camellia (Camellia)

  • Appearance: evergreen, opposite, elliptical, pointed leaves, bushy growth up to 4 m in height
  • Flowering: February to May, flowers resemble peonies, white, shades of red, orange, pink
  • Care: good container plant, partially shaded in the garden, protected from wind and rain, likes a cool place, usually not hardy, only flowers if it is not too warm in winter, water regularly, less often in winter, fertilize the garden organically in spring, all container plants Fertilize over the irrigation water for two weeks, mulch, remove faded leaves
  • Species: Japanese camellia (up to -15 degrees), autumn flowering camellia, Chinese camellia, various hybrid varieties

Laurel roses (Kalmia)

  • Appearance: evergreen, shrubby growth, leaves lanceolate to ovate, shallow roots
  • Flowering: May to July, pink or crimson, bell-shaped flowers, racemose inflorescences
  • Care: partially shaded location, well-drained soil, fertilize organically in spring, mulch, water when dry, remove faded leaves
  • Species: Narrow-leaved laurel, Broad-leaved laurel

Caution: The leaves of the laurel rose are poisonous.

Cranberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)

  • Appearance: evergreen, dwarf shrubs, hardy, underground runners, dark green, ovate leaves
  • Care: sunny to semi-shady location, suitable as ground cover under blueberries, loose soil, water when dry, fertilizing not necessary
  • Flowering and harvest: May to June and July to August, bell-shaped flowers in white or pink, racemose inflorescence, round red berries from July to September
  • Varieties: 'Red Pearl', 'Coral', 'Harvest Blessing'

Rhododendrons (alpine rose)

  • Appearance: slow-growing shrub, several meters tall and wide, evergreen foliage, ovate or oblong leaves, entire
  • Flowers: March to May, large flowers in white, yellow, orange, pink, red, violet and blue
  • Care: Site under trees, cool and shady, loose soil, water regularly, mulch, fertilize organically in spring, cut out faded plants
  • Species: Rust-leaved alpenrose, ciliated alpenrose, early spring rhododendron, various hybrids

Plants for moist bog beds from B to K

Rush (Juncus)

Blue-green bulrush, Source: AnRo0002, 20160708Juncus inflexus3, Edited from Plantopedia, CC0 1.0
  • Appearance: 20 to 80 cm tall, clump-like growth, underground runners, some evergreen, green to blue-green tubes and culms
  • Flowers: usually in summer, inconspicuous, brown to black inflorescences
  • Care: moist to dry location, well suited for the banks of ponds, the leaves can freeze in winter, then cut back in spring, keep potted plants moist, possibly put them away or protect them in winter, fertilizing is not necessary
  • Species: Rough rush, Dwarf rush, Blue-green rush, European rush, Spiral rush

Notice: Since rushes tend to become overgrown, it is better to plant them in containers or tubs.

Carnivorous Plants (Carnivores)

  • Appearance: rosette-forming, different catching mechanisms for insects, tubular or sticky leaves or leaves with folding mechanism
  • Flowers: in spring, on long stems, prevents pollinators from being caught, white, reddish or bluish color, variable shape
  • Care: damp but sunny location, nutrient-poor substrate, suitable for indoor or potted plants, does not need fertilizing, needs high humidity, sometimes hibernation makes sense
  • Species: Venus Flytraps, Pitcher Plant, Butterwort
venus flytrap

Notice: Feeding the carnivorous plants is not necessary and should only be done in exceptional cases.

Bell heather (Erica tetralix)

  • Appearance: evergreen dwarf shrub, up to 50 cm high and wide, needle-shaped leaves, silvery-green shallow roots
  • Flowers: June to September, bell-shaped flowers, white or pink
  • Care: sunny location, semi-shade is tolerated, moist, nutrient-poor substrate, water regularly, add compost in spring, remove old flowering shoots
  • Varieties: 'Alba Mollis' compact, white flowers, 'Con Underwood' bushy, purple flowers, 'Hookstone Pink', 'Pink Star'

Orchids (Dactylorhiza)

  • Appearance: loose rosette, leaves elongated, lanceolate, retract in winter, forms tubers
  • Flowers: May to June, flowers clustered on the stem, typically orchid-like in shape, white, yellow, pink, red
  • Care: sunny location, keep moist, do not fertilize, only cut away dry plant material
  • Species: spotted orchid, fox's orchid, man's orchid, orchid, broad-leaved orchid, lesser orchid

Plants for moist bog beds from M to S

Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), cranberry

  • Appearance: evergreen dwarf shrub, creeping spread, branches form roots, groundcover, small ovate to narrow leathery leaves
  • Care: sunny, wind-protected location, sandy soil, water regularly, keep moist, otherwise easy to care for, cut back after harvest, otherwise it will become rampant
  • Flowers and harvest: white to reddish bell-shaped flowers in late spring, red berries are ripe in October
  • Varieties: 'Bergman', 'Bain', 'McFarlin', 'Searles', 'Black Veil', 'Beckwith' (all early ripening and thus protected from frost)
Source: Ecomare/Sytske Dijksen, Ecomare - cranberry in de duinen (cranberry-duinpark-sd), Edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sheath cotton grass (Eriophorum vaginatum)

  • Appearance: forms cushions or clumps, up to 60 cm high, spreads like a lawn, leaves long, brownish, gray or greenish, white, woolly seed pods form after flowering
  • Flowers: March to May, spikes with individual flowers
  • Care: on the banks of ponds or in shallow water, sunny to semi-shady, only water when it is not damp, autumn leaves can be left as mulch and fertilization, cut only if necessary and in spring, root barrier prevents proliferation
Source: I, Neva Micheva, EriophorumVaginatumBulgaria1, Edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Sedges (Carex)

  • Appearance: evergreen grasses, along the banks of water bodies, form clumps, sometimes forming runners and covering the ground, leaf color green, green-white or with red components
  • Flowers: male inconspicuous, female cone-shaped
  • Care: sunny to semi-shady location, well-drained but moist soil, little care required after planting, water when dry, divide clumps that are too large, cut out withered leaves
  • Varieties: Japanese sedge, New Zealand sedge, red sedge, morning star sedge, stiff gold sedge, forest sedge, angle sedge
Japan sedge

frequently asked Questions

How can you fertilize ericaceous plants?

There are special fertilizers for plants that like acidic soil, such as rhododendron fertilizer. Coffee grounds can be used as an alternative. Compost, especially when composting oak leaves or needles from conifers, is also suitable. It is important not to fertilize the plants too often and to avoid adding lime.

How much water do bog plants need?

The water stands still in bogs. The roots of ericaceous plants, on the other hand, need air to be able to absorb nutrients. For this reason, no waterlogging should form and it shouldn't be watered too often. It is also important to use almost exclusively rainwater.

How can humus formation be supported?

Coniferous trees are useful as companions. On the one hand they provide shade, on the other hand the rotting needles form loose, acidic humus. Bark mulch from conifers can also be helpful. It is suitable for suppressing weeds and protecting ericaceous plants from cold nights.

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Garden plants