How to Build a Frog Bog

In July of 2016, we debuted our Serenity Garden at our shop. In less than a month, the beautiful new pond was home to two frogs!

In the Serenity pond we have a bog area surrounded by hardy and tropical lilies (pictured above). This is where our frogs like to hang out. Not only is it a great home for these cute critters, the bog is also great at helping to keep the pond clear.

Can you spot the bullfrog?

They love the bog because they can float in among the aquatic plants and be pretty much unnoticeable. Honestly I wouldn't have seen them if Kasey hadn't pointed them out! (There is actually a Leopard Frog behind the boulder sticking out of the water in the top photo it's just not visible.) Plus there's an unlimited supply of little insects for them to eat. We have frogs all over the place here at our shop and we can pretty much attribute that to the heavy plant cover in all our water features.

What is a bog?

If you are looking to entice some frogs to live in and enjoy your pond, I recommend creating a bog area. What is a bog? It's a shallow area that's filled with marginal aquatic plants.  All of our ponds here at the store have some type of bog area -- some of them multiple bogs (also known as "plant shelves").

Marginal plants are those that have their roots in the water but the foliage is above the water surface, such as the water iris pictured below. Notice how the the roots are planted in a shallow bed of river rock -- no dirt needed! The water in the bog area is only 4-6" deep.

Here's a cross-section of how our marginals are planted.

It's easy to create a bog on an existing pond.

Option 1: Build a little retaining area with boulders inside the pond and fill the area with river rock to 1-2" below the water surface. You might be able to expand an existing shelf, possibly. The key is that it needs to be shallow.

Option 2: (More advanced.) Dig a shallow area next to your pond and attach new liner to create the bog area. Fill the new area with river rock.

If you're looking for the perfect bog plants, we have you covered. We sell a wide range of marginal bog-type plants from late April through August. If you need specific recommendations for your pond, we love helping people shop for plants!

For me the critters that live in my pond are what I enjoy most. Anything I can do to make them feel more at home and safe is a project well worth it!

Staci Wicker
Cool Ponds Co-owner