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Water logged garden

RockhopperRockhopper Posts: 38
in Problem solving
Evening everyone . I wonder if anybody could help me with some advise, me and the wife recently moved to a new house with a Fairly large sw facing rear garden which is laid to lawn with established shrubs around the edges, the problem im facing is recently with all this wet weather I have noticed the ground seems to be badly water logged , There is a slight slope on the garden towards the house . I’m not 100 a certain if this is the reason but when I was digging some concrete out of the path I noticed a fair bit of clay deep down . I’m guessing this is possibly the reason why it’s water logging . I’m trying to research this I keep reading about land drains  would this be the only way to resolve this issue. ?  I’m guessing this would be a massive job . Sick to say the least ..Thanks 
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  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Bumping this up in the hope that someone can advise.  :)  
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    What sort of condition is the lawn in? Is the grass itself thick and reasonably healthy for the time of year? If it's not too bad then the waterlogging is probably temporary. And the previous owners obviously didn't see the need to install drainage. If you don't need to actually use the lawn in wet winter weather, maybe you could leave it alone and see how it behaves for a while. Generally speaking wait and see is a good idea with a new garden, just to make sure you know what you have (eg there could be bulbs and perennials that are dormant at the moment).
    Options other than digging it all up and installing drains would be to make a bed planted with moisture-loving plants at the low point, or even a pond, ie working with the conditions.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    Leading on from Jennyj's post. If the garden is well stocked and you know or find out what you have in the way of plants and shrubs it may be a clue?
    If there is already a predominance of wet tolerant plants.
    Or if what is there is healthy and balanced range of non extremes if you see what I mean.
    If you do not know or have difficulties there are lots of people here who love identifying plants.

    Enjoy your new home.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Is it the grass or the beds which are waterlogged - or both?
    It's not particularly uncommon for many gardens to be wet during winter. Clay soil makes drainage more difficult unless worked on before planting, but it can certainly be improved over time.
    Planting appropriately is also the best solution, as already said. In a new garden, it's better to wait a while and see what happens, and what's already there. Your location, and what's already there will be the main factors in how you progress, and some photos in a month or two will help with advice, unless they're all evergreens, and you can put on a few pix just now   :)

    Without seeing the sort of areas - size etc, it's quite difficult to advise though. Most people don't do much heavy/serious gardening in winter anyway - it's mainly basic jobs, and then pruning etc a bit later on. Most plants are dormant, and those that aren't won't need any real attention at this time of year.  
    If grass is soggy - you simply don't go on it unless necessary   ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • RockhopperRockhopper Posts: 38
    Thanks for the replies,yes I think I’m gona see how it goes through our first summer in the house, originally when we first purchased the house the grass  looked good but then I started to noticed quite abit of clover and moss ,now it seems to Be very Waterlogged spits gone from looking good to Blayne being unhealthy .a few pics from a couple of month ago.   
  • micearguersmicearguers Posts: 646
    A lot of lawns get a bit soggy over winter and look worse for wear.  Advice is always to stay off them as much as possible in winter, even more so with clayy soil to prevent compaction. It will surely look better going into spring. I'm on clayy soil and have put stepping stones where the path used to be.

    In your lawn I don't see puddles yet - those would be a sign of problematic lack of drainage if they persist. You say you've had a lot of rain, so perhaps things are not that bad.

    To my mind clover looks wonderful in a lawn. In dry summers it stays green much longer than grass, and if you get let it flower it will be humming with insects. A classic lawn is a bit of an ecological dessert, if you allow a slightly wilder lawn it brings benefits to the entire garden.
  • RockhopperRockhopper Posts: 38
    Sorry them pics were in autum before we has much rain . It’s certainly squelchy now . Cheers 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Looks great compared to mine  :D
    Not that it's visible at the moment, but mine is largely moss from about November until April/May. I give it a weed and feed in spring, and it improves as the ground dries out and warms up, and the grass gets more of a foothold. We're on clay here, and even though I used loads of gravel to help with drainage when creating the back lawn [which is in a sunnier aspect]  I can't change the climate here, and it still gets mossy and soggy. It gets better by about June. 

    I wouldn't worry too much just now  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • RockhopperRockhopper Posts: 38
    Thanks everyone 
  • Jack1974Jack1974 Posts: 61
    Hi all. I saw a thread on similar recently, about three weeks ago with some photos of holes in clay soil. Can anyone repost this on this thread please? I've clay soil and similar issues with a shallow water table.
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