Why create a bog garden? 
Bog gardens are great for low lying, slow draining areas in your yard.  They do especially well when set up near a pond.  

Bog gardens provide a home for unique plants who like to keep their feet wet and for wildlife.  
Beautiful perennials like cardinal flower and bee balm and carnivorous plants like the yellow pitcher plant will thrive in your bog garden.

Bogs help filter polluted runoff caused by stormwater runoff and reduce flooding problems.
Bogs found in the natural environment are extremely important for filtering and purifying stormwater runoff.  Stormwater runoff is the excess water that runs across the land when it rains or snows.  Wetland areas like bogs help to absorb the stormwater runoff and retain and slow excess water as it heads towards river and streams.  Communities today are more vulnerable to flooding because we have filled wetlands, straightened streams and paved and developed large areas.  We have changed the way water flows and taken away the ability of many natural systems to absorb and detain floodwaters.  Wetlands help regulate water flow and act like a sponge, filtering pollutants and providing flood control.

Click here for a list of recommended bog garden plants.

Other Bog Garden Resources:

Backyard Conservation
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Natural Resources Conservation Service