Lawns

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help or advise?
I've lived in my current property for about two years (brand new)and live about twenty metres from a river/waterfall. As a consequence the water table is very high in my garden. The soil in the garden is on the clay-side of things (not too bad but does hold a LOT of water)My back garden is North facing and in winter never gets any sun. I also have about thirty, one hundred foot trees to the east of my back garden just ten metres away which drop a phenominal amount of leaves in autumn. This sounds very beautiful and it is.

When I moved in the builders created a herrinbone drainage system over the whole of the garden at a depth of 12-18 inches - this works in summer but I still get waterlogged in Winter.

All of this means that in Summer my lawn in beautiful, but in winter the entire lawn dies (give or take a patch or two).

I've tried aeriating/forking/keeping the grass longer etc but it's a nightmare 'cos I love a beautiful lawn.

Oh, and BTW I have three healthy young boys who want to play on the lawn all the time (currently banned until summer)

Can anyone suggest anything? Is there any grass seed/solution that might work?

BTW I'm a complete novice when it comes to gras other than spiking feeding and cutting it.

Thanks

 

You do havea bit of a problem there, David - and welcome, by the way! :D

I can't thin k of anything that hasn't already been done, particularly if the soak-aways aren't doing enough, and you are pricking the lawns with a fork, and that's not enough either. I don't think the type of seed will make a lot of difference.

Sorry not to be of much help - how about posting this question in the lawns section tooo, and maybe you'll get more of a response?

It does sonund lovely - how aobut posting some photos? We all love photos!

 

Hi David, It sounds like the only solution is to raise the lawn so that the grass roots will be above the water table.

 

will hollow tine aeriation do the trick (probably take a few years I know...)?

Is there a grass seed that does well in wet, dark (in winter)areas?

 

It's possible, and so is plug cutting - but I wouldn't think it was guaranteed to succeed in these extremes.

This page might help - don't know if the firm operates in your area, but it might give some more ideas.....

http://www.greenthumb.co.uk/contact.asp?gclid=CNaE2tSXpIoCFSQ4Zwod70RlTw

and their FAQ page

http://www.greenthumb.co.uk/faq.asp

Despite all the blurb (think it's a franchise of a USA company :rolleyes: ) they do seem to do a decent job, and they do seem to come out to advise, and do a decent job, in my area at least. I quite often come across them, and have even called them in to a job too big for me to handle. And no, they don't pay me a commission! :D

 

I believe Stuart Payne has the best solution here.
If the drainage isn't working, then, as you have said, the water table is high, so raising the area is what I would do. Regards, Fonzie.

 

Any tips on raising it?

The lawn is maybe 40ft by 50ft and flat as a pancake. If I did raise it, what height would be best? a few inches or is more than that better? and how would that effect the flower beds? and even worse how would it affect my nighbours garden?

I have thought about digging a drainage ditch in the field at the side of the garden - but would this cause more problems than it solves? i.e. potential standing/stagnant water.

Oh hum!