Your bog garden has been excavated, filled with water, and the growth media has begun to settle. Or you may want to enhance the attractiveness of your bog garden with new plants. A mixture of bushes, ferns, fruits, flowers, and bulbs is recommended.
Here’s a list of the finest plants for a bog garden and some planting and growth advice.
Choose the appropriate water-loving plants to develop a thriving bog garden. For example, you should pay careful attention to plants that need certain conditions to grow, such as never
being permitted to dry up.
Choose a variety of moisture-loving plants. As a result, your bog garden will be filled with blooms almost always. Plant globe flowers in the spring, pickerel weed in the summer, blueberry bushes for berries and autumn color, and a native holly in the winter.
Choose a variety of plants that thrive in damp conditions.
For visual appeal.
Let’s get started with the top 26 Plants for bog gardens:
26 finest bog garden plants (listed alphabetically)
Astilbe
Astilbe’s white, crimson, or pink plumes appear last from late spring to early summer for many weeks. Astilbe is an excellent cut flower.
The leaves usually turn scarlet in the autumn, and the dried plumes last far into the winter.
Astilbe spp. is the scientific name for this plant.
Plant type: perennial
Partly sunny, partly cloudy
Soil: Organically rich, damp but well-draining bog plant
Interest season: late spring through winter
USDA Zones: 4 to 10, 8 to 24 inches tall, 10 to 12 inches wide at maturity
Care Notes: Cut back plumes in the spring as new leaf development begins. If desired, the astilbe may be split in early spring.
Black cohosh
Black cohosh is a tall plant that is Black snakeroot; black bugbane and fairy candles are all names for this plant.
that blooms in the summer with spikes of white flowers for approximately three weeks. The blooms have a fetid odor that attracts pollinators and serves as a food source (host plant) for the pollinators
larvae of the Holly Blue, Spring Azure, and Appalachian Azure butterflies.
Black cohosh has long been used as a natural medicine for gynecological issues, hormone replacement, snake bites, respiratory problems, and sore throats.
This natural perennial forms clusters through rhizomes or underground stems.
Scientific name: Actaea racemosa, formerly Cimicifuga racemosa
Type of plant: Native perennial
Light: Full to part sun
Soil: Plant on the edges of the bog garden, do not let it dry out
Summer is a popular time to visit.
2 to 4 feet tall, 4 to 6 feet tall broad at maturity
USDA Zones: 3–8
Clumps may be split in the spring.
Cardinal flower
This natural perennial gets its name from stalks of brilliant crimson blooms. The blossoms may have some diversity, such as white, pink, or rose.
The Cardinal flower is a short-lived native perennial, yet it self-sows rapidly (but not aggressively) to maintain its presence along streams’ borders. It is resistant to deer and rabbits. Excellent for naturalizing. It can be cut for indoor use.
Lobelia cardinalis is the scientific name for this plant.
Plant type: Native perennial
Full sun to partial shade
Grow at the boundaries of a bog garden in medium to damp soil.
Interest season: mid to late summer
1 to 2 feet tall, 2 to 4 feet tall
broad at maturity
USDA Zones: 3–9
Highbush blueberry
Blueberries flourish in a sunny, acidic planting environment, demonstrating that you can produce wonderful fruit in a bog garden.
Note: The birds will eat the fruit if you don’t.
Blueberry bushes with at least two types for optimal pollination provide the most berries.
The slow-growing bushes will provide few fruits for the first two or three years. Flower buds should be visible on year-old vegetation.
For tiny bog gardens, there are various blueberry cultivars that stay 2 to 3 feet tall and spread.This plant’s scientific name is Vaccinium corymbosum.
Plant type: Native shrub
Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Plant on the bog garden’s edges.
Seasonal interest: Showy blooms in the mid-to-late spring, fruit in the summer, and stunning crimson leaves in the autumn.
1 to 12 feet in height, 1 to 4 feet in width
broad at maturity
USDA Zones: 5–8
Care Notes: Blueberry bushes do not need pruning the first year. Blueberry bushes should be pruned in the winter while they are dormant. Snip the branches with the fewest blooms to direct energy to those with the most.
Buttonbush
This natural plant is a favorite of pollinators such as hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. In nature, buttonbush develops around the borders of streams. In the summer, Buttonbush produces fragrant white, ball-like blooms. The blossoms become crimson as they mature and last into the winter.
Buttonbush may grow fairly huge, reaching up to 12 feet tall with an 8-foot spread. However, Sugar Shack and Fiber Optics are two smaller buttonbush varieties of 5-foot tall and wide range. These will work better in a miniature bog garden.
Cephalanthus occidentalis is the scientific name for this plant.
Plant type: Native shrub
Full sun, some shade
Soil: Grow between the bog garden’s perimeter and the middle.
Summer, autumn, and winter are the seasons of interest.
5 to 12 ft tall, 4 to 8 ft wide
broad at maturity
USDA Zones: 5–9
Globe flower
Yellow, cream, or orange globe flowers. Plant three to five of this perennial in a cluster for maximum effect in late April.
Trollius x cultorum is a series of hybrid plants that are more robust with buttercup-like blooms but keep a global form. These are a cool-season perennial that does not thrive in hot climates.
Trollius x cultorum is the scientific name for this plant.
Plant type: perennials
Full sun to partial shade
Plant in wet soil.
Interest season: late spring
2 to 3 feet tall and broad at maturity
USDA Zones: 3–7
Care Instructions: Cut for indoor pleasure. In midsummer, prune this plant.
Goatsbeard
Goatsbeard is a tall native perennial with creamy white blooms.
Goatsbeard is dioecious, which means it has both male and female plants. Plants are neither labeled nor marketed as male or female, so buy them while they are in flower. The blossoms on the male plant are more showy and dense.
Extra points? Goatsbeard tolerates rabbits.
Aruncus dioicus is the scientific name for this plant.
Plant type: Native perennial
Full sun, some shade. Toward the afternoon, provide shade toward the south.
Plant on the bog garden’s edges.
Summer is a popular time to visit.
2 to 4 feet tall, 4 to 6 feet tall
broad at maturity
USDA Zones: 4–8
Notes on Care: If goatsbeard becomes too dry, the leaves wither soon.
Blue flag iris
In May and June, the blue flag iris blooms. With stunning violet-blue flowers. Each stalk produces three to five colors approximately 4 inches across and has a slight yellow spot at the neck of the fall or petal. The eaves of this iris are blue-green.
This attractive native perennial may thrivein 2 to 4 inches of water along a bog garden’s border or edge and is deer resistant.
Other irises that may be cultivated in bog gardens are Japanese iris (Iris ensata), water iris (Iris laevigata), and Siberian iris (Iris sibirica).
Iris versicolor is the scientific name for this flower.
Plant type: Native perennial
Full sun, some shade
Soil: Plant around the bog garden’s borders or margins.
Blooms throughout May and June.
Size at maturity: 24 to 30 inches tall and broad
USDA Zones: 3–9
In late summer, trim back the leaves. Divide rhizomes in late summer to increase the number of plants. Flowers may be cut and enjoyed inside.
Joe Pye weed
Joe Pye weed, a natural perennial, attracts bees, butterflies, and insects from July through early October.
Joe Pye weed, despite its height, makes an attractive late-season flowering background in a bog garden. The blossoms may be trimmed and enjoyed inside.
Unfortunately, the word “weed” is connected with this plant since it might put off some gardeners. According to the Adirondack Almanack, Joe Pye was a Native American who employed the plant in numerous herbal medicines, including the treatment of typhoid disease.
Eutrochium maculatum is the scientific name for this plant.
Plant type: Native perennial
Full sunlight
Soil: Bog garden edge or margin
Interest season: July through September
Size at maturity: 4 to 7 feet tall, 3 to 4 feet broad
USDA Zones: 4–8
Notes on Care: Cut the plants in late winter. Because the plant tends to self-sow, remove the flowers to help reduce this.
Lady fern
Lady fern is ideal for tucking into the shadow of a shrub or tall perennial. The leaves (fronds) are straight and finely split. The fern forms a tight cluster.
Surprisingly, this fern is classified as a worldwide species. It may be found throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Rabbits do not bother the lady fern.
Athyrium filix-femina is the scientific name for this plant.
Plant type: Native perennial fern
Full to partial shade, tolerates severe shade
Soil: Keep moist and plant around the bog garden’s perimeter.
Spring and summer are popular seasons.
1 to 3 feet tall, 2.5 feet broad at maturity
USDA Zones: 4–8
Care Notes: Keep the soil continually moist if growing in full sun. Every few years, divide the clumps. Make sure the plant’s crown is at the soil level.
Ligularia
The leaves of Ligularia, sometimes known as leopard plant, are big and dark green, with purple undersides. In early July, showy spikes of yellowish-orange, daisy-like blooms appear.
The glossy chocolate leaves of the “Britt-Marie Crawford” cultivar have purple undersides. In the summer, “Desdemona” bears yellow, daisy-like blooms 2 to 4 inches wide. Instead of daisy-like blooms, “The Rocket” features lemon-yellow spikes.
Care Notes: Grow ligularia from direct sunlight and wind in a shaded location. In whole light, the plant will wilt. Deep shade is not a problem for Ligularia. Flowers may be cut and enjoyed inside.
Scientific name: Ligularia dentata
Type of plant: Perennial
Light: Shade to deep shade
Soil: Consistently moist; plant along the edge of the bog
Interest season: midsummer
Size at maturity: 3 to 4 feet tall, 2 to 3 feet broad
USDA Zones 3–8
Great blue lobelia
The huge blue lobelia, often known as the blue cardinal flower, has blue bloom stalks. It thrives in damp soil, much like its brother, but it also tolerates deep shadow.
Great blue lobelia grows in clumps and may create a colony if conditions are favorable. The blooming stem and roots die after the seeds are dropped. The seeds germinate and begin to produce sources that will eventually generate new plants.
Extra points? This plant is resistant to deer. Flowers may be cut and enjoyed inside.
Lobelia siphilitica is the scientific name for this plant.
Plant type: Native perennial
Light: From light to complete shadow
Plant on the bog garden’s borders or edges if the soil is evenly damp.
Interest season: mid to late summer
2 to 4 feet tall, 1 to 112 feet broad at maturity
USDA Zones: 4–9
Marsh marigold
The marsh marigold has the name Marigold. However, it is not and does not look like one. However, the marsh part is correct. Marsh marigold blooms in mid-spring to early summer with bright yellow flowers.
According to the US Forestry Service, while the blooms seem yellow to humans, the petals’ sections blend yellow and an ultraviolet hue known as bee’s purple. It’s a fantastic plant for spring bees seeking food after a long winter’s snooze since it blooms early. Hoverflies pollinate the plants.
Note: Handling the plant’s oil may cause skin irritation. Cattle and horses are poisoned by the herb, but not when dried.
Caltha paulstris is the scientific name for this plant.
Plant type: Native perennial
Full sun to some shade. Full sun is excellent for blooming.
Soil: Wet soil is required—plant on the border or in the center of your bog garden.
The finest season is from spring through early summer. To visit.
1 to 1.5 feet tall and broad at maturity
USDA Zones: 3–7
Ostrich fern
This fern gives your bog garden upright, slightly arching, feathery textures. Ostrich fern, native to Eastern North America, Europe, and Asia, dies back to the ground in the winter or may be pruned.
Ostrich fern fronds, also known as fiddlehead ferns, sprout and gently unfold. The very tips of the fronds, known as fiddleheads, are the last to grow and are delicious when cooked. (Do not consume them uncooked.) The sterile fronds are green. Stiff brown spore-bearing fronds emerge from the plant’s core.
To establish a colony, the ostrich fern spreads by underground stems known as rhizomes. Ostrich fern may grow 6 feet tall if cultivated in constantly damp circumstances.
Scientific name: Matteuccia struthiopteris
Type of plant: Native fern
Light: Part to full shade
Soil: Consistently moist area of the bog garden.
Interest season: spring through autumn
Size at maturity: 3 to 6 feet tall, 5 to 8 feet broad
USDA Zones: 3–7
Pickerelweed
The beautiful blue blooms of pickerelweed rise 3 to 6 inches above the glossy, arrowhead-shaped green leaves. The plant grows in a thick colony. This long-blooming native thrives on bog borders.
Dragonflies and damselflies deposit their eggs on stems near the water’s surface. Despite their name, the plants protect more than pickerel fish.
Scientific name: Pontederia cordata
Type of plant: Native perennial
Light: Full sun
Soil: Wet, plant along the edge of the bog garden
Summer through October is a popular time to visit.
2 to 4 feet tall, 112 to 2 feet broad at maturity
USDA Zones: 3–10
Pitcher plant
The pitcher plant, a bug-eating plant, thrives in mucky, acidic water. The blossoms have a musky scent. When pitcher plants are planted in whole light, they provide the most vibrant color.
Bugs settle on the pitcher’s lip, where the colors and nectar entice them to drink. When the bugs fall in, the nectar of the carnivorous plant paralyzes them and causes them to fall further into a liquid that digests them.
The deceased insects provide the nutrients required by the plant. Plants will not thrive unless specific cultural criteria are satisfied.
Care Notes: Soil must never dry out in the Southeast United States, where it is endemic. On the other hand, the crown of the carnivorous plant should not be submerged in water.
Sarracenia flava is the scientific name for this plant.
Plant type: Native perennial
Full sunlight
The earth is murky and moist.
Interest season: April-May to July
Size at maturity: 1.5 to 3 feet tall and broad
USDA Zones 6–8
Primrose
According to the Missouri Botanical Garden, primrose means “little earliest one,” an excellent descriptor for this early flowering perennial. Flowers emerge from a rosette of leaves that clings to the ground.
The majority of primroses are tiny, fragile plants. The Belarina series, on the other hand, grows to be 5 to 8 inches tall and 10 to 12 inches broad. Choose these cool-weather perennials based on blossom color and shape.
Newer types are also more resistant to heat. They should be cultivated in soil that does not dry out.
Scientific name: Primula spp.
Type of plant: Perennial
Light: Part shade, especially in afternoons
Soil: Consistently moist. Plant on the edge of your bog garden.
Season of interest: Spring into summer
Mature size: A half inch to 1 inch tall and wide
USDA Zones: 4 to 8
Queen of the Prairie
You may be wondering what a prairie plant has to do with a bog garden. There are dry and wet grasslands, and this monarch likes to walk on moist grass. If the soil dries out, the leaves may become sunburned and scorched.
In the summer, the fragrant pink blossoms resemble astilbe.
Queen of the prairie is a large plant that may be used as a summer-blooming shrub. It makes an excellent cut flower. The perennial will self-seed and grow into a colony. Removing spent flowers will not result in additional blooms.
The Queen of the Prairie tolerates deer.
Filipendula rubra is the scientific name for this flower.
Plant type: Native perennial
Full sun to partial shade
The soil is consistently damp.
Summer is a popular time to visit.
6 to 8 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide
broad at maturity
USDA Zones: 4–7
Rodgersia
Rodgersia bears pink or cream blooms and develops a robust cluster of big leaves that vary from deep green to rusty brown, depending on the species. Rodgersia is known as pipsqueak because rubbing a leaf between your thumb and fingers sounds like a pig squealing.
Rodgersia is named after Rear Admiral John Rodgers (1812-1882), who led the Pacific voyage (1852-1856) that found the plant.
Rodgersia pinnata and R. podophylla are the scientific names for this plant.
In the autumn, the leaves of R. pinnata become bronze.
The leaves of R. podophylla emerge bronze-green, become green throughout the summer, and finally rust crimson in the autumn.
Plant type: perennial
Full sun to partial shade
Plant along the bog’s border to save soil.
Interest seasons: spring, summer, and autumn
Size at maturity: 3 to 5 feet tall, 3 to 4 feet broad
USDA Zones: 5–7
Notes: In the autumn, cut back to the ground.
Sedges
Sedges are among nature’s most adaptable plants, with one for almost every garden setting; many are native. Sedges are grass-like plants that give the bog garden a light, foamy feel.
Sedges blossom, although their blooms aren’t always spectacular. Sedges grow in bog gardens in large numbers. Here are three things to think about:
The golden blades of Bowles’ Golden (Carex elata ‘Aurea’) have green edges. It may grow to be 1 to 2 feet tall.
2 to 3 feet wide and needs full to partial light. USDA Zones 5-9 are appropriate. Accepts venison.
Mace sedge (C. grayi), a semi-evergreen native. The flower’s name derives from its resemblance to a medieval spiky metal ball. Grow in full to partial sunlight. It may grow 2 to 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet broad. Accepts deer. USDA Zones 4–8 are suitable.
Palm sedge (C. muskingumensis) receives its name because its leaves branch from a primary stem like a palm. It grows to be 2 to 3 feet tall and broad. This thick native is resistant to deer. USDA Zones 4–9 are suitable.
Scientific name: Carex spp.
Type of plant: Perennial, many native
Light: Depending on the type, sun to shade.
Soil: Typically moist but draining. Plant along the perimeter of your bog garden.
Season of interest: Summer and autumn, with evergreen kinds in winter.
Mature size: Variable, depending on the variety (see above remarks).
USDA Zone: Variable depending on variety (see above remarks).
Skunk cabbage
The speckled purple and green spathe of skunk cabbage sprouts from frigid, Muddy ground in late winter. It’s one of nature’s early signals of spring.
In nature. The hooded spathe has a pale-yellow bloom and finely veined green leaves. The plant’s leaves may grow 1 foot wide and 2 feet long, giving a wonderful display in the bog garden.
The adjective fetus describes the flower’s odor, which means stinking, extremely stinking. The stink spreads far, attracting carrion flies and other pollinators.
Scavenger beetles flies, and insects also frequent the Western skunk cabbage. The odor pervades the whole plant.
Note: Skunk cabbage contains calcium oxalate crystals, so handle it with caution. These crystals irritate the skin.
Eastern skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), Western skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus)
are the scientific names.
Plant type: Native perennial
Shade to partial shade
Soil: Bog garden edges toward the center
Interest season: spring through summer
2–3 feet tall, 2–4 feet tall
broad at maturity
USDA Zones 4–7 (Eastern), 6–9 (Western).
Snakehead fritillaria
Grow this little bulb plant wherever you can see it. Plant in a dense mass around the front border of your bog garden. According to the University of Wisconsin Extension, Meleagris is Latin for “spotted like a Guinea fowl.” It is also known as a checkered lily or Guinea flower.
Nodding blooms of two inches grow on tall stalks above thin leaves that spread a little on the ground. Snakehead fritillaria is a light, almost whispy plant. It complements the marsh marigold—Tolerates juglone from deer and black walnut, which limits growth.
Fritillaria meleagris is the scientific name for this plant.
Plant type: Perennial bulb
Full sun to partial shade
Even while dormant, the earth remains moist.
Spring is a popular time to visit.
9–12 inches tall, 4–6 inches wide
broad at maturity
USDA Zones: 3–8
Swamp rose
The hybrid rose’s reputation for being picky may The scientific name for this plant is, Vaccinium corymbosum.
the swamp rose. In the summer, the fragrant, pink flowers of this native, wet, soil-loving rose to attract butterflies and birds.
The subterranean and above-ground stems of the swamp rose to disseminate the plant.
It’s fairly prickly, so use caution while trimming. Cut flowers may be enjoyed inside. Rose hips, approximately a half-inch long, trail the blooms.
Winter appeal may be found in the hips, which can be gathered for teas, jellies, and other foods. In the autumn, the leaves typically turn crimson.
Scientific name: Rosa palustris
Type of plant: Native shrub
Light: Full sun
Soil: Wet, plant toward the center of the bog garden.
Summer, autumn, and winter are the seasons of interest.
Size at maturity: 3 to 6 feet tall and broad
USDA Zones: 3–9
Sweet flag
Sweet flag’s leaves are reed-like and have a citrusy-spicy aroma similar to tangerines. The blossoms of the native plant are so little that they may go unnoticed. Small reddish-brown berries follow flowers with hoods.
Note: Sweet flag (Acorus calamus) is a European import that has naturalized in the United States, and some states consider it an invasive plant.
Acorus americanus is the scientific name for this plant.
Plant life cycle: perennial
Light: Full sun to medium shade, with afternoon shade provided in hot weather.
climate
Wet soil; may be planted in water 9 to 12 inches deep.
Summer is a popular time to visit.
2 to 3 feet tall and broad at maturity
USDA Zones: 3–6
Before transplanting, divide the sweet flag rhizome into 4-inch sections by digging and cutting it.
Venus fly trap
The Venus fly trap, native to the Carolinas, may be cultivated in other locations but requires a suitable habitat, like the pitcher plant. If the planting area dries up, there is little leeway.
The trap of this carnivorous plant is a hinged leaf. Each leaf has two sides.
contains three hairs or triggers. When an insect strikes one of the triggers, the leaf snaps shut.
It will reopen after a few days, ready for its next meal. In late April, stalks topped with white flowers emerge from the plant’s core.
Note: Because this is an endangered and protected species, it cannot be collected in the wild. Purchase only nursery-propagated plants.
Dionaea muscipula is the scientific name for this plant.
Plant type: Native perennial
Full sun to partial shade
Wet soil, plant near the bog’s edge.
It blooms in May and June and is useful for capturing insects in the summer.
USDA Zones: 5 to 8, 6 to 12 inches tall, 6 to 9 inches wide at maturity
Broad
Winterberry holly
Consider a plant with winter appeal. This native shrub sheds its leaves in the autumn to expose red berries that last into winter, enticing people and animals.
Winterberry holly is typically a huge shrub, although some dwarf or semi-dwarf forms have been created to accommodate narrow settings.
Male and female plants coexist, with females bearing fruit. Typically, only one male winterberry plant is required to fertilize six to ten female plants. The plant tag should identify whether the plant is male or female.
It may be used as a specimen plant or as a container plant.
To create a colorful hedge.
Scientific name: Ilex verticillata
Type of plant: Native shrub
Light: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Wet, plant on the edge to the middle of the bog
Early summer flowers are of particular appeal.
Depending on the species, mature size ranges from 3 to 12 feet tall and broad.
the variety
USDA Zones: 3 to 9
Frequently Asked Questions about Bog Garden Plants
Is there anything that should never be planted in a bog garden?
Yes, horsetail (Equisetum hyemale) can be avoided in your bog garden. This is why: Horsetail, although a natural plant, is a bully that will take over your bog garden.
What happens if a plant in a bog garden dries out?
You may attempt to resurrect it by pruning it and keeping it moist. Get a replacement if the plant does not return.
Will your bog garden attract mosquitoes?
It may. Mosquitoes, on the other hand, prefer to deposit their eggs in shallow rather than deep water. The carnivorous plants will relish the mosquito onslaught. In your bog garden, you may include biological control, Mosquito Dunk (Bacillus thuringiensis).
When to call a landscaping pro
Making a bog garden is a messy, muddy task. If that doesn’t appeal, hire a local landscaper to do the dirty labor. Don’t get bogged down when selecting bog garden species or building a garden in your yard.