Been mulling over all your suggestions and, prior to acting on them, I'm going to try and remove the edging to the back border (just the piece at the shed end) and see if that improves the drainage situation. My hope would be that gravity takes the excess water under the back fence and reduces the amount gathering in that corner
If that works, the border edging would look a little odd but I'm sure that can be alleviated/masked with some planting.
November GW magazine came today has an article about Monty's garden being flooded regularly. He suggests (like obelixx) work with what you've got, don't try to fight it, that's hard work and probably not successful.
I'm a bit late here, but gooseberries do well on clay. The gooseberry centre of England is in Cheshire - heavy clay soil. I wouldn't say they are delighted to be waterlogged, but they tolerate it reasonably well.
Too late @Lizzie27 - it's been dragged over to the other side of the lawn. It wasn't the main problem with the waterlogging but needed to come out so I can get that piece of edging out. The plan is for a nice wide border down that side so it couldn't stay in that corner any longer.
I had the same problem when creating beds/borders here, and most recently when making a small water lily pond. Big chunks of kerbstone were the main problem, as I'm at the end of the row and next to the road. Good for the muscles, and gave my knackered shoulder muscle a good workout
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Gone for it again this morning. We're due some nasty weather so it will be interesting to see where/how the rainfall pools now.
I'm imagining that it will form a pool below ground level (basically, in the whole I've dug) and hoping that it drains away slightly quicker without the edging there.
Just an update on this. I did take some of the advice offered but pig-headedly went against the wise words re. a pond or bog garden
After digging out a strange-shaped hole, I finally got a chap in who sorted a soakaway and some drains diverting water away from the problem corner. The shed has had a lick of paint as well as gaining a trellis and water butt. I've also replaced the back fence.
I'm still studying how the area copes with periods of heavy rainfall before finishing off the planting but thought before, during and after photos might be of interest to anyone with a similar problem.
This is Oct 2020, when I couldn't work my new camera phone without including my finger in the picture
Move on to Feb 2021 and I'd made a pond!
Not quite finished but this is how it looks now (grass needs a trim!)
The work done is slightly restricting where I can plant. I'm still tempted to widen the border and cut off the corner of the lawn though. Even if it means putting something in that can cope with a very shallow soil medium before hitting drains, etc.
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If that works, the border edging would look a little odd but I'm sure that can be alleviated/masked with some planting.
If there is no change over the winter, I'll have to hold my hand up.
Good for the muscles, and gave my knackered shoulder muscle a good workout
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'm imagining that it will form a pool below ground level (basically, in the whole I've dug) and hoping that it drains away slightly quicker without the edging there.
After digging out a strange-shaped hole, I finally got a chap in who sorted a soakaway and some drains diverting water away from the problem corner. The shed has had a lick of paint as well as gaining a trellis and water butt. I've also replaced the back fence.
I'm still studying how the area copes with periods of heavy rainfall before finishing off the planting but thought before, during and after photos might be of interest to anyone with a similar problem.
This is Oct 2020, when I couldn't work my new camera phone without including my finger in the picture
Move on to Feb 2021 and I'd made a pond!
Not quite finished but this is how it looks now (grass needs a trim!)
The work done is slightly restricting where I can plant. I'm still tempted to widen the border and cut off the corner of the lawn though. Even if it means putting something in that can cope with a very shallow soil medium before hitting drains, etc.