decking

i have a large boggy area in my garden, i have planted some things but i want to build a decking platfom so as to accses the site whithout sinking, the trouble is i have no solid ground to put any supports in, the bog is at least 3ft deep and deeper, can anyone suggest a way to overcome this problem

 

Stuart, I helped to construct a floating walkway over a bog using 12" plastic pipes,end capped water tight secured with stainless steel straps to form a "ladder" shape frame.Layed into position then decking screwed on.
It eventually settled in half the depth of the pipe,Maybe a smaller diameter pipe would do the job and look better in your garden.

 

Might make a nice natural pond if it was dug out.

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! and we decking in the plans of our new garden......!!!!!!!! I'd go for a pond to attract loads of frogs & toads and a huge great gunnera (sp?)!!!!!

 

Blimey! I was talking about a path...not a Shakespearian stage :D :D

 

If it's a large area like you say then you are quite right to want access. Decking has a place when used sensibly and Paladin's idea of a pontoon is how I would approach it.

I would also plant a gert great gunnera there and some Elephant Ears, big leaved stuff.

 

Hi, a pond with decking access and large plants sounds great to me- you would need access anyway to dig the pond. If the area is large enough some water loving bushes/ trees such as willow and alder might help. Have you any pictures?

Lisa I'm gutted- I had some decking done last year at the top of my garden to cut down on the work involved. It was a lot cheaper than paving. :confused:

[ 30. January 2006, 12:38 AM: Message edited by: Liz ]

 

Before doing anything to the garden I would do a little investigating as to why you have the boggy area in the first place. Is it clayey or peat material? Obviously it's a drainage problem but are you on an old flood plain and near the water table or is your garden on porus rock (like limestone or sandstone) overlying a clay bed? It may be you have a natural spring there and the water isn't getting away quickly enough. This will make a huge difference in how you tackle the problem because a spring can be dug out to form a running water source from a pond or you may have stagnant water forming on top of a water table.

Running spring water should always be clear and fresh and lends itself to a stone or gravelly bed but does require a ditch or other water course for run off. Still water lends itself to bullrushes and water plants that will oxygenate the pond, strip out nitrites and keep it fresh.

A pontoon path system is a good idea for access and can easilly be removed or changed as the garden develops A permanant stucture could be made by driving oak piles (expensive) into the ground to support a platform.

Time to go to the library and look at old and large scale O/S maps. Find out where your property is in relation to old wells, marshes, reed beds, springs and if possible also look to see if they have local large scale geological maps that will give you a lot of clues to what's happening and why. Once you understand the real problem then you can decide how to approach it.

[ 30. January 2006, 12:56 AM: Message edited by: frogesque ]

 

thank you all for you intersting suggestions,
i have now overcome the problem i have left it well alone apart from planting flag iris, gunnera, and willows, and some tall grasses, it now looks great thanks again
stuart
friendships are like gardens the more you put in the better they become