Do bogs have a bad smell?

by Cesar Parra
(El Paso tx )

Hi I wanted to build this bog you are talking about but I was afraid that if it is too wet it might create a bad smell of stagnated water. I am also worried about to much water rotting the roots. how can I prevent this.

Doug says that no - bogs do not smell. There is no stagnant water, there is only constantly damp soils. You don't have to worry about too much water rotting roots if you grow bog plants in there. This kind of plant is suited to having its roots constantly wet.

Now, if you try to grow a regular garden plant in a bog, you'll be disappointed. See the list of plants here for plants that will thrive in wet soils.