If you happen to have a naturally waterlogged dip in your garden, you could decide to turn it into a bog garden. These provide a perfect setting for wildlife growth and also offer an excellent place in which you can plant some truly extraordinary species of plants. The best time to make a bog garden would be in the winter, as this is the time when there is least work to do in the garden and it will be ready to be planted in, in spring.

To make a bog garden you should first mark out the area that you want with string or sand. Next you should excavate the area that you are thinking of constructing it on, to a depth of 45cm or 18inches and put the extra soil aside. You should then line the hole with either polythene or butyl pond liner, making sure that it is at least 0.5mm thick. You could place some bricks or large stones on the edges to stop it from moving when you walk on it and then remove them once the bog garden is complete. After this has been done, you should use a garden fork and pierce the lining at approximately 1m intervals. After, you can either lay down a piece of leaking hosepipe at the bottom of the hole or some porous pipe. You should then securely seal one end of it, making sure that the other end is sticking out of the bog garden, as this is what is going to be used to supply water to the hole and act as an irrigation system. Then, create a 2.5-5cm layer of gravel covering the bottom and pipe in order to prevent soil from blocking the holes in the irrigation pipe. You should then replace the excavated soil, making sure that you remove any weeds and large stones. You should also mix in compost, leaf mould or well rotted manure if you know that the soil is low in organic matter. You may notice that the level of the soil is slightly more raised than what it used to be, but do not worry, as the soil will settle in time. However, do not press down on the soil or try and compact it as this will present poor growing conditions for any plants that you put into the bog garden. If any weeds present themselves whilst the soil is settling, get rid of them so as to make sure that the soil is clear and ready for proper planting in spring. You will know when the bog garden is ready for planting as it will have settled back down to its original level. 

In order to succeed in making a good bog garden, you must make sure that it has a good drainage system and the soil does not become too wet. Plants will not grow properly if they do not have air around their roots and the ground that they are growing in is too damp. If the piece of land that you have chosen constantly becomes waterlogged then you may need to leave out the lining as if this is used it will prevent the extra water from properly draining out of the bog garden.