The first things to think about are the placement and size of your carnivorous plant bog (see photo 1). The site must be in full sun (some shade at times is acceptable). In the wild, carnivorous plants grow in bogs, where they are subjected to full sun with just a few pine trees providing shade. Size of the bog will depend on the space available and the number of plants you wish to grow.

Photo 1

Next, decide which plants you want to grow in the bog, allowing space for growth and self-seeding. Sarracenia will form a clump in few years and will also self-seed. Drosera will self-seed in the first year and some e.g. D. filiformis and D. binata will also form clumps. Venus Fly Traps will also form clumps in time. Some plants like wetter conditions, whilst the native Drosera (Sundews), D. anglica, D. intermedia and D. rotundifolia prefer drier parts of the bog.

Ideally, site the bog away from trees that lose their leaves. The decaying leaves encourage mould and fungus, which could cause the loss of your plants and also kill the winter resting buds of Pinguicula and Drosera.  The decaying leaves may add nutrients to the soil, enriching it beyond the tolerance level of some CPs.

A water mister may be necessary when there has been little rain, in order to keep the moss and smaller CPs from suffering the effects of low humidity. The planting of bog grasses may help with humidity, although the taller grasses may obscure some of the smaller CPs. You may find heathers growing in the peat, which you will need to remove. The same husbandry and hygiene that is used to grow CPs in a greenhouse should be applied to growing CPs in a bog.

The hole must be dug to a sufficient depth to hold an adequate amount of water; otherwise the sun will dry out the bog too quickly (see photo 2). Line the hole with carpet, cardboard or sand to prevent any sharp stones penetrating the top liner, then lay a pond liner or other waterproof plastic material over the under layer.  The water and soil in the bog will be heavy and any sharp objects under the liner will pierce it – as it would for a pond!

Photo 2

An edging may be laid in order to raise the bog about 3 inches (7 cm) above the level of the garden soil. This will enable a layer of bark chippings to be placed around the bog, which will help prevent slugs and snails from attacking the plants. The edging may also help keep grass cuttings off and prevent muddy rainwater washing straight into the bog.