Water logged garden

I can't think of anything except spiking the lawn and brushing in sand. You might well end up having to take it up and either installing drainage pipes or replacing the subsoil. What a pain! Do plants in the rest of the garden thrive?

I have tried deep spiking with limited success.. I think you're probably right and i will need to install some form of drainage pipe system. I just wondered if there were any other options open to me. Replacing all the subsoil would be a mammoth task. Plants don't grow in it apart from some hardy shrubs. I've alreaday had three fully grown oaks and ash trees cut down through disease. The tree surgeons said that they had been suffocated by the hard subsoil and the council tree preservation officer agreed. Thanks for your interest!

Then you really don't have a choice, do you. I realise that you can't replace the subsoil, but you can make your own compost, get in well-rotted manure, buy a load of compost from the council (if they run this scheme) and start digging it in to your soil - you will obviously have to double-dig. I know this will be hard work and take a very long time, but in the end you will improve the fertility of the garden and have great satisfaction when you see healthy plants and shrubs. Trees with deep roots may well be a no-no for you. Why do builders persist in doing this? To cut costs I suppose.