bogged garden, I have a brainteaser for you all! How/what can i do with this garden?

this is the troublesome patch of my garden??????????????
my flower bed






me standing on the garden





please help.

the amount of water that you see is just a few days of rain and it will stay like that for a few weeks until it dries but it will still be boggy etc

 

Is there nowhere for it to drain to? You know if you were to dig lots of sand and grit into it?

Otherwise you could have a raised bed there, or plant very thirsty plants in it.

 

no nowhere for it to drain to unfortuneatley. i have tried sand and grit and it does nothing!!!
any ideas on plants then????

 

You could try and drain some of the water out of your garden, or into another part, away from the flower beds.

I have in the past dug a channel, or several across the garden, and put a good few inches of pea gravel in the bottom of the channel, and then cover it back with top soil.

If you have a clay soil or a clay pan that is stopping the water from draining away, another idea is to dig several holes around the garden, making sure that you go through the clay, and then fill with a good portion of pea gravel, and top soil.

Having plants will make a difference, and I would select those that like or don't mind wet feet. One that springs to mind is Hydrangea.

If your soil is on the clay side, incorporating sharp sand/grit into it would improve the structure.

Hope this Helps!

 

Bog plants would be cool if you have a squidgy area that doesn't need extra squidge. Loads to choose from, gunnera

 

thanks guys,yes we are on clay,my garden slopes downwards, the bottom part of the garden is lovely and dry but this part of the garden is really wet and boggy on the right hand side of the garden at the same level it isnt as boggy and it can be walked on without any squelging noises :cnfs:.I think when the house was built the builders dug a trench half way down the garden and i think this is stopping the water from going down but it is very strange that it is only this part that is like it is.

I was wondereing would making it into a natural pond help? or
would it just make things worse?
Would gravel holes and plants be the better option?

 

Hi Amme

I too have a part of the garden that is boggy (and dappled shade!), although not as bad as yours. We are on a very gentle slope and on clay. I've taken the decision to only plant bog loving plants in that area - it's not worth the bother of watching any other sort of plants die, getting water logged or grow inadequately.

There are simply LOADS of plants that thrive in this sort of environment. Go for a pond if you like (I would have, except I have no space left), but looking at my boggy area, I have the following doing well there -
Angelica
Lythrum
Foxgloves
Astilbe
Lobelia Queen Victoria
Aduja
Ferns (of all sorts!)
Hostas
Eupatorium
Hydrangea

There are lots more too - I have a list somewhere that I bring with me when I know I am going to the garden centre! It just requires a bit more thought, but a bog garden is beautiful and can be a real nature retreat (think stag beetles for starters).

HTH

 

thats great thankyou. i will have a trip to the garden centre tomoro LOL ( with hubby's credit card ofcourse :D)

 

So.....what ya get?

 

nothing yet:( i have been busy trying to get hubbys suitcase sorted out and clothes washed and ironed before he goes away on tues, going to HIS MOM AS ITS HER BIRTHDAY!!!! and shopping for clothes for hubby again

I am hoping to go this week to get some plants. I will let you all know what i get and then send you some pics:wink:

 

sorry it has been a long time in getting back to you all but hubby decided to dig out a trench to seewhy it wasnt draining away and he found a huge lump of tarmac that the buillders had left. WEll since then we have had very heavy rain fall and the two trenches that he dug are now full of water agian!!! and they havnt drained away at all. so here i am thinking mmmmmm...... natural pond!!!! or do we get out the tarmac?????????????

 

nice wildlife pond with loads of bog plants :gnthb: