A "Sky Bog"

[Mucky_Waters]

Might be a good chance for a long term experiment......one trough with lava rocks, one with pea gravel. They will both have equal sun, equal flow characteristics, same pond water etc. It wouldn't break the bank to abandon one media if it didn't perform to expectations............

I like that idea. Just make sure you have the same type of plants in each container to see if there is any difference.

 

[Ben]

NO WISTERIA!!!!!!!!!!

I think we kinda had this conversation a while ago My land is infested with wisteria and killed all my big trees. ONLY native wisteria is a safe choice to plant. Dont by Asian wisteria. You know by their time of blooming. Invasive wisteria blooms very early (blooming a few weeks ago and still blooming now)

Soon when i have time i'll go out with a chain saw and cut them all up. but with 100s little vines and 100s big ones per tree it's going to be a big big job.

ok, that's out of my system

I have the same pergola! that's a great idea i'll have to see if my husband will agree to something like this

I stupidly planted two wisteria vines (native) and "trained" them (LOL) to wrap up and around two side columns of my front porch. I ran clothes line wire between 5 of the columns to support the vines as they spread. It was a beautiful accent to my wrap-around front porch. But I had to prune every weekend - unbelievable amount of maintenance with this fast growing nuisance. I cut the vines down 4 years ago and dug up the wisteria roots but didn't get all of the roots up and sprayed roundup, dug again and again and the vines continue to pop up every year. Ugh!

 

[mrsclem]

I have window boxes on the sides of my pond as a bog. I use lava rock as a medium as well as old foam gutter guards and plastic scrubbies! The plant roots quickly clog the drains in the boxes. I tried the pea gravel but it was too heavy and clogged too fast.

 

[Nepen]

I stupidly planted two wisteria vines (native) and "trained" them (LOL) to wrap up and around two side columns of my front porch. I ran clothes line wire between 5 of the columns to support the vines as they spread. It was a beautiful accent to my wrap-around front porch. But I had to prune every weekend - unbelievable amount of maintenance with this fast growing nuisance. I cut the vines down 4 years ago and dug up the wisteria roots but didn't get all of the roots up and sprayed roundup, dug again and again and the vines continue to pop up every year. Ugh!

I doubt that's native, I don't know. I heard that native wisteria doesn't spread via roots? good thing it didn't crush your columns as they grow bigger.

 

[Timothy]

It's been a little while since I updated the progress on this project. I wasn't able to do much last week mainly because of weather, 40's and drizzly, gray, and just nasty for several days.
The last couple of days have been much better and some progress has been made. The outcome has been mixed. The system works very well, and each box can be operated totally independent of the other - supply and return. That's the good news.
I did a full-on wet test today and everything did well except the right box leaks. The good part of this scenario is I can load and plant the left box and get things moving and by manipulating the valves take down and exorcise the right box.
Here's where the "Sky Bogs" are today......
The pond water enters via the small pipe and overflows the open end of the 1 1/2" return and is directed back to the pond. (In this photo the supply line is under the return. Once the gravel/lava rock is installed it'll stay put.)
This is the drain/return system. All of this will be painted, I just couldn't stand it and had to test everything first!
The lower valve hose bib will/does do two things; It will provide pond water to a watering can rather than dipping the can in the pond......much more refined than the "sink the bucket" method, and provides a siphon point if the boxes need to be emptied.
The garden hose is the supply line, and the black 1 1/4" is the return. Both will be hidden/disguised. They will be buried very shallow (6-8") for a short distance, but will be brought back up by the raised bed on the other side of the walkway. I would prefer to have them accessible along a border and covered with plants. There may be an occasion later to tap into the supply line for another feature in the future.

 

[addy1]

Nice!

 

[Timothy]

We had a beautiful day weather-wise today and I was able to get further along in this project. I got the return pipes painted, they still show but aren't "cellar white plastic pipe" anymore.

I dug a small trench and buried the supply and return hoses under the walkway.

The return line wraps around a raised bed and currently just flows to the pond. I'll dress this up a little and make it less utilitarian. (sorry about the frog, he was a gift.)

I discovered that the return pipe in the box had to be purged of air before it would flow because of an airlock at the elbow directing the water out of the box. This elbow was slightly above the return inlet and was the perfect air trap. A quick fix was to let the air out via a 1/8" hole drilled through the elbow. This has no impact to the return at all, because once things are running the elbow is under the water.

It took 1.25 cu ft of pea gravel to fill this box. Once the desired level was reached I inserted an inexpensive strainer from Targe' which will prevent pine needles, leaves, and other floating stuff from potentially getting in the return and becoming problematic. After planting several "volunteers" we'll keep an eye on them for a week or two and see how they fare.

By design, neither box relies on the other and by turning a couple of valves one box can be worked on while the other is functioning normally. I did not incorporate a check valve or vacuum break in the lines so I do need to remember to close the supply line valve when ever the pump isn't running to prevent the water from being siphoned out. This was deliberate because I wanted the siphoning aspect in the event the water had to be removed.
Over the next several days I'll leak-proof the second box, load that with lava rock, and then have both "Sky Bogs" operating at the same time.

 

[KC Crook]

I stupidly planted two wisteria vines (native) and "trained" them (LOL) to wrap up and around two side columns of my front porch. I ran clothes line wire between 5 of the columns to support the vines as they spread. It was a beautiful accent to my wrap-around front porch. But I had to prune every weekend - unbelievable amount of maintenance with this fast growing nuisance. I cut the vines down 4 years ago and dug up the wisteria roots but didn't get all of the roots up and sprayed roundup, dug again and again and the vines continue to pop up every year. Ugh!

This is how I feel about yarrow. That stuff can take over everything. Best for erosion control where they dont need to be controlled. Personally, I made the mistake of planting it in my garden, and 4 years later, I am still trying to pull the roots up to irradicate it. If a root exists, it will pop up. Its a weed to me.

 

[addy1]

Your frog is cute!

 

[Timothy]

This is how I feel about yarrow. That stuff can take over everything. Best for erosion control where they dont need to be controlled. Personally, I made the mistake of planting it in my garden, and 4 years later, I am still trying to pull the roots up to irradicate it. If a root exists, it will pop up. Its a weed to me.

Ironic how this works.
I was raised in the country and some of my fondest "mind's-eye" memories are walking or riding my bike down the dusty gravel road next to the old weathered gray fence posts that supported a single strand of rusty barbed wire. Between me and the fence was a shallow ditch about 3 or 4 feet wide that was home to a continuous bed of Queen Anne's Lace. It was considered a weed, but I thought it was one of the prettiest flowers ever. I have even transplanted QAL to our pond garden. When I discovered Yarrow I planted that in several places because to me it looked like multi colored QAL.
During the summer and early fall our garden is alive with humming birds, bees, birds, and all sorts of plants from the grand 9" Hibiscus, and Hollyhocks, to the lowly Yarrow that lines the path. I look forward to these times.

We started them in a wheel barrow with a pumpkin vine to keep them company, then moved them to several places in the garden.

 

[cas]

I remember the first time I saw queen anne's lace when I was a kid. I was so taken with it that I picked some to take home to my mom. I was so amazed when my mom told me it was a weed. I think it has beautiful flowers.
I can't wait to see the plants take off in your sky bog.

 

[Timothy]

I remember the first time I saw queen anne's lace when I was a kid. I was so taken with it that I picked some to take home to my mom. I was so amazed when my mom told me it was a weed. I think it has beautiful flowers. .................

Me too! Still do!

 

[KC Crook]

Ironic how this works.
I was raised in the country and some of my fondest "mind's-eye" memories are walking or riding my bike down the dusty gravel road next to the old weathered gray fence posts that supported a single strand of rusty barbed wire. Between me and the fence was a shallow ditch about 3 or 4 feet wide that was home to a continuous bed of Queen Anne's Lace. It was considered a weed, but I thought it was one of the prettiest flowers ever. I have even transplanted QAL to our pond garden. When I discovered Yarrow I planted that in several places because to me it looked like multi colored QAL.
During the summer and early fall our garden is alive with humming birds, bees, birds, and all sorts of plants from the grand 9" Hibiscus, and Hollyhocks, to the lowly Yarrow that lines the path. I look forward to these times.
View attachment 90967 View attachment 90966
We started them in a wheel barrow with a pumpkin vine to keep them company, then moved them to several places in the garden.

Im glad you have fond memories of it. Lovely description of your memory! It reminds me of clover. When I was a kid, I loved white clover because the bees just swarmed it and although it wasnt smart to go barefoot in the summer, we did anyway and bee stings be damned, lol. Here, people want to rip it out of their grass. Some people consider honeysuckle a weed too but I loved it on our back fence and loved to pull the stamens out and suck that little drip of sweet nectar goodness off the end. Ahh, childhood in the country.

 

[Timothy]

............ Lovely description of your memory! ................... Some people consider honeysuckle a weed too but I loved it on our back fence and loved to pull the stamens out and suck that little drip of sweet nectar goodness off the end. Ahh, childhood in the country.

Thank you.
I have no idea how many people I've shared the honeysuckle nectar secret with. With kids it's met with wonder, with adults it's skepticism, but when a good flower is found and tasted it's like a small treasure!
Speaking of childhoods and treasures, why is it the sweetest blackberries are always at the heart of the thicket? Does the pain endured to get them make them sweeter?

 

[addy1]

We let clover, wild mustard, yarrow anything that blooms gets to bloom where it lands. My yard is not a groomed yard, perfect beds, but it works for me. The only think killed all of the time is poison ivy, when it is near the house. This rain we are having is making the weeds get darn big and healthy, vines and maple trees growing everywhere. I need to do some grooming.

We always pulled the honey suckle flower and tasted the nectar, a favorite kid thing to do. And I do it now to