Boggy Back Garden

Hi folkies....newbie here....and i come armed with a question:thmb:

heres the thing....my back garden doesnt get much direct sunlight, even in the height of summer. Having just given it its first cut of the year....its looking a bit scabbby. BUT....thing is....its pretty boggy due to the lack of sunlight/heat to dry it out.
Do you know of any tips that i could try to make it less marshy/squidy underfoot?

Any help/tips welcomed and appreciated:ntwrth::wink:

 

Evening Gman and welcome to the site. Why not go in the opposite direction and turn the area into a bog garden, With the plants available nowadays you could turn it into a nice, colourful feature.:gnthb:

 

I'm with David on this one. you won't be able to dry it out too much with it being so shady, but there are some fabulous plants that would like those conditions.
Look at the BBC Gardening website for ideas.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/

 

Not ordered from them (yet!) but a couple of websites for getting ideas about boggy/shady loving plants

http://www.puddleplants.co.uk/index.htm

http://www.plantsforshade.co.uk/index.html

 

Hi

I'm assuming it's totally grassed at present?
I have a similar situation. The back of my garden goes straight upto an old warehouse wall so it was shaded and moist even in the height of summer. Grass was thin and mossy and nothing much could be done to it.
I was lucky enough that that part of the garden was suitable for a flower bed which was what I did - lots of great plants for a site like that and it got me away from a few years of frustration in trying to keep it as a grassed area.
If suitable I'd turn it into a planting area with suitable walkways laid down if needed.

Good luck.

 

I'd go with the general flow of advice so far given and say take advantage of that shade and moisture! Think of the beautiful plants you can grow like ferns, dicentras, Japanese anenomies, paeonies, and aruncus. Even some herbs like parsely and mint will do well in damp soil.

 

Thank you folks for your replies. I was really looking for ideas just to try and dry the ground out....as am not a green fingered person at all. Plus....i have no cash to buy anything with. Just thought there may have been a wee trick i could have tried.
I had an old school mate out for a look. He has his own landscape gardening business, and he suggests giving it a good forking to air the ground!