Waterlogged garden

how about digging a natural pond next tou your patio.the higher bits will become dryer theres some lovley bog plants or dig a few tons of soil out and putting better draining soil in or a gravel drain away i believe you can do some thing with any garden

No, it's not a lost cause at all! Think of it as an opportunity!I agree with Np up to a point - a pond would not be such a good idea if it had to be in the shade. However, a bog garden would be great! There are some shrubs which enjoy wet conditions, but not many. In the Garden Centres at the moment, they have Cornus species which are grown for the beautiful colour of their winter stems. Take a look - they would fit in your garden well. There are red, orange, greeny-yellow ones. I have Cornus mas 'Elegantissima' which has cream edged green leaves the rest of the year. You cut these shrubs hard back each spring and they grow new vibrant stems for the winter.

Lots of bog plants:

Primula species, like P.bulleyana and P.denticulata and P. vialii
Ligularia species
Rodgersia
Hostas & some Ferns
Astilbes
If you have space, becuse it gets HUGE - Gunnera maniculata.
Lobelia cardinalis
Lythrum salicaria
.
Want any more? That's a start, anyway.

Take a look in your GC and look at the water plant section - there may well be some gems there, too.

I hope this has helped you to think positive!

Of course, the other alternative would be to put drainage pipes in - but a bog garden is much more exciting... :-)

and gunnera if ya gardens big i love that plant

Said that, Np! It's on the list!
I am hoping that mine will come through this cold weather OK. I love it, too.

oops sorry spritz i cant have one its to big .i went round an artist in london and hed had built a round pond with an island.on the island was a full size gunnera .it was about 15` x 10` looked stunning.it just about made it to within 6" of the edge of the pond.it hasnt bean that cold as long as youve coverd it

It has been a lot colder here than normal! Yes, I did cover it. Fingers crossed.

should be ok ill keep my fingers crossed for you.well while im not drawing lol

LOL.

You could build some raised beds to get some soil above the soggy ground. Plant roots could grow down towards the water.
You need to decide why it's waterlogged. Is the water table high or is there a spring or is the soil badly compacted?
If it's because of compaction you can dig in lots of grit and see if that improves it. there's not much you can do about the other 2 options except work with them.

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