INTERNATIONAL BOG DAY

International Bog Day is traditionally the last Sunday in July. It's been designed as an annual event to celebrate the beauty of bogs and to help conserve them. Bogs are beautiful, but becoming increasingly rare due to increasing peat usage.

The UK's lowland raised bogs are home to many important species of birds, thousands of rare insects and a wealth of unusual plants. But only a fragment of near-natural bog remains, with over 94% having been damaged or destroyed.

Your choice...

Gardeners account for around 70% of horticultural peat use. Together with other uses of peat, this is a major threat to our remaining peat bogs, and those in the rest of Europe too. It is likely that 80% of peat bought in the UK will come from imports within the next 2 years.

Despite this, it has never been easier to go peat-free. A wide range of peat-free composts are on sale in garden centres and DIY stores for use as mulch, soil improvers and growing media. More and more container plants are being sold in peat-free composts.

Our guide 'WHERE TO BUY PEAT-FREE 2008' tells you which peat-free products can be found in the major national chain stores, and how you can make a difference for peatland conservation. Our fascinating peat bogs, their wildlife and historical records can be saved by gardeners choosing wisely.