DIY Network

Bog Area, Rocky Hillside Bog Area, Rocky Hillside From "Weekend Gardening" episode WKG-310

In this episode of Weekend Gardening, travel back to the beginning of time as host Maureen Gilmer turns a light challenged growth of palms into a prehistoric wonderland. Learn to use a variety of ancient plants that adapt to almost any condition. Discover the secrets of living fossils and how you can use them to create a space that is as lush as it is primitive. It’s a garden with it’s roots in the primordial!

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G

Gardening is fun for the whole family. If you have kids that are crazy for dinosaurs, Maureen has the garden for you! She will be transforming a small growth of palm trees (figure A) into an amazing Jurassic garden. In this episode, primitive plants that are well suited for California (figure B) will be used.

This project will take about 15 hours over the course of a weekend. It's rated a level 3, for intermediate gardeners.

The best place to start is with computer software that allows you to download a digital picture of the area, then click and drag images until you've created the perfect area -- before you even lift that first shovelful of dirt (figure C)! Be sure to get all of your supplies together in advance so you'll be ready to start work bright and early on Saturday morning.

Tools and Supplies
Standard gardening tools
Cobblestone or flagstone
Bark mulch
Motif-related accent pieces (a T-Rex skull model and cave art plaques are featured)
Stone bench

Plant Material (California)
Alaskan fern
Mother fern
Mondo grass
Horsetail
Umbrella grass
Australian ferns
Araucaria biwillii
Gingko tree
Cycads
Irish moss
Liverwort moss
Venus flytraps

Steps

1. Carefully evaluate the terrain where you'll be planting and determine which plants will be used in the area. In this yard, there is a palm grove with massive trunks and an overhanging canopy which gives a great sense of enclosure (figure D).

2. Clear a large patch (figure E). This area will be used for a dug-out bog that will be a central feature of the Jurassic garden.

3. Spray paint the outline of the bog (figure F). Use spray paint to create a design you like. Once you've painted the outlines, step back and take a look: if you're unhappy with the shape, simply rake the dirt and start over.

4. Install flagstone chunks and rocks into the hillside (figure G). Here, a slope provides an ideal area for creating a rough, textured element in the landscape; using boulders or other rock-related elements would be good alternatives for yards lacking a natural grade.

Time Spent: 3 hours

RESOURCES :

Lascaux stones
Tic Toc Rocks
Website: www.tictocrocks.com

Tyrannosaurus rex skull
Skullduggery, Inc
Website: www.skullduggery.com

Moss
Moss Acres
Website: www.mossacres.com

Mulch
Whitney Farms
Website: www.whitneyfarms.com

Plants
San Gabriel Nursery and Florist
Phone: 626-286-3782

Maureen Gilmer, Horticulturalist & Author
Website: www.moplants.com

Suggested books/design software:
Gaining Ground by Maureen Gilmer
The Budget Gardener by Maureen Gilmer
Maureen Gilmer's Garden Maker Software

GUESTS :

Scott Daigre
Garden Designer/Educator
Phone: 323-462-2881
E-mail: sdaigre@aol.com

Nicholas Staddon
Azusa, CA
Website: www.monrovia.com