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Waterlogged Garden never gets the sun
Sazzleb24
Posts: 2
We live in a 6 year old new build, and most of our back garden never gets the sun and is constantly water logged as a result of this. We also have a little puppy so there is constant traffic in the garden. Is there anything I can do so its not like a total mud bath out there? Most of the grass has gone and its just a muddy mess!
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Posts
It does depend on your soil; you don't say what it is.
You won't get flak from me pansyface because I was going to suggest that. But the drainage must be sorted first and there must be a means of drainage afterwards. I've read that the paving over of people's front gardens for car parking has caused drainage problems and now there are rules about how it's done.
There could always be a sort of bog garden up to the paving with plants that like being damp. Pots on the paving could have lovely leafy plants like hostas and heucheras that are OK with shade. And a seating area.
The same happened down the lane from me. Builders remove and sell good top soil, the under soil gets compressed, covered with rubble then a thin cover of topsoil and a few rolls of grass.
The people mainly did what is said above, paved then invested in pots to plant into. Digging out and filling with gravel leading to a soak away pit will help though no sun means it will never dry out. I bought the house I am in with a compass in hand, it is fully detached though the main garden is S&W facing. Gardeners will always make the best of what they have, you have an uphill struggle.
Frank
I would suggest paving and pots too - the combination of a shady lawn and a lively dog are never going to give you lush green grass.
A soakaway to provide drainage could double as a bog garden too
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
is your garden in a sump ? ie is it lower than your neighbours', or is it flat?
If you're level with your neighbours, you might consider low, timber edged beds, even 150mm / 6" high should help.
Thank you so much all for the responses- its great to get some advice. I like the idea of paving but I agree its not very eco and would be quite costly, but yes with the dog it may be the best answer- I like the idea of low beds and drainage- I'll give that a try in early spring. Thank you again for the advice!
I agree that trying to maintain a lawn in the type of situation you are describing would be an uphill struggle and I like some of the above suggestions. I would, however, be a bit wary of paving the whole area.
It sounds as though your back garden faces north like mine. In winter the paving at the back of our house becomes lethally slippery with algae & frost. I would, therefore, suggest considering using gravel or pea shingle over permeable membrane instead of all paving. This would be a lot cheaper and would cause fewer problems with local flooding issues as rainwater can soak through the gravel and membrane.
You can still have pots and beds or you can plant through the gravel & membrane. A bog garden or raised beds sounds like a great idea too. If you were to consider the gravel / shingle idea I suggest you go for slightly larger size stones so you and the dog don't traipse then inside all the time!
Good luck - we love to see before & after photos...