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What To Do With Muddy Areas
tailtidy
Posts: 3
Hi , can anyone advise on what,if anything, i can do to solve an issue with unsightly muddy areas in my back garden please? I have attached a few photos showing the muddy, messy areas. The main area where the largest muddy patches are is at a tree and is quite dangerous to access as it becomes very slippy when it,s wet which is often due to a lot of rainfall here ( Pitlochry).It is also muddy at a bush area in the garden too The neighbours are complaining about the mess too and i really need a "cure". I don,t know what,s caused it to become so bad ? Any advice is much appreciated,thank you 
Last edited: 05 April 2017 00:45:00
0
Posts
You're getting run-ff because the tree roots have lifted the ground some way, and caused it to be higher there than on the path.To solve the problem you need to contain the soil/silt from running off.
For under the tree, build a small raised garden bed. This will significantly reduce, if not eliminate the run-off you're experiencing. If you don't like the idea of a wooden structure, then make a low wall from stone or brick - round the corner rather than square it off, so that the shape echoes the tree shape. Back-fill with good soil and compost.
Put in plant shade loving plants and bulbs which will brighten up the space and create seasonal interest. And don't forget to use a good mulch over the top.
For the shrubby border, extend the planting down further onto the flat area. This will stop the run-off, and will give a nicer finish to the border. Hope this helps
What fabulous advice 007!
A A Milne
Thank you very much 007 for the wonderful ,helpful advice which is greatly appreciated.
. I,m new to gardening and suffer from health problems which unfortunately restrict me physically but am looking for someone local who can carry out the works you recommend and hopefully when completed the neighbours will stop complaining about the muddy areas.
Thankyou both for your kind words. Perhaps the neighbours should organize a working bee and help to be part of the solution, rather than simply complain about the problem
You are very welcome to the advice - if I was there I would do it for you
I'm really not clear on what grounds the neighbours are complaining ... if your back garden has some bare earth that really is no one else's concern but yours. Unless they have a legal right to access your back garden surely it really is nothing to do with them and they shouldn't be making you feel pressured to do something about it when you have some health difficulties.
Of course, if they're asking (in a kind and neighbourly way) if you'd like some help with your garden, that's different
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.