Buy Andromeda polifolia 'Blue Lagoon' bog rosemary: Thrives in moist, acidic soils
Position: full sun or partial shade
Soil: moist, acid, humus-rich soil
Rate of growth: slow to average
Flowering period: May to June
Hardiness: fully hardy
Originating from peat bogs, this hardy, low-growing evergreen shrub forms a dense dome of blue-grey foliage, which in late spring and early summer is topped with soft pink, bell-shaped flowers. With its common name of 'bog rosemary', this little gem will thrive in reliably moist, acidic soils, and makes an interesting addition to shadier rockeries or borders.
Garden care: Apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted leaf mould each year around the base of the plant in early spring.
I have a small recently constructed wildlife pond. I would like to provide shelter for frogs (etc) in winter as well as summer. I would like some low growing evergreen bog plants for this. I note that Andromeda polifolia is evergreen which is what I now need to add. Three questions: 1) Can this grow and thrive alongside astilbe and hosta in a pond side bog garden area? 2) can I cut it back to keep it low growing (15 - 20cm) without cutting into hardwood and killing it? 3) any suggestions for additional evergreen bog garden plants, please. Many thanks.