Puddling on Borders

Hi all, I have another issue I could do with some advice with. I have an area on the left of my border near the patio that keeps puddling. I assume as water coming off the patio compounds the issue. I tried digging and raking and then adding soil / manure but doesn't work. Clay soil almost feels like cement mix when wet.

I was thinking of digging a hole and filling with it manure but then I assume the water would all collect where the hole is despite the manure.

Any ideas what I can do to stop that area from puddling?

(Is worse then the pics shows as just raked again now so water not built up yet)

 

Have you had a lot of rain, I have some spots that puddle after heavy rain but they usually drain away in a few hours, if its lasting for days after its rained I'd worry, but if it goes I wouldn't.

 

Hi Pete, a lot of rain. It Has barely stopped this month!. Very frustrating as can't barely do any Gardening over last few weeks.

It does drain away afterwards, definitely not lasting days, but I did want to plant a nice Perennial plant there as is right next to the patio, but I fear anything planted would drown without resolving issue.

Garden is generally very squelchy at the moment, so hoping for improvement when weather improves.

 

Pound to a penny, like a lot of us, I bet that you have a layer of clay under the measly layer of top soil that the original builders of the house left. Our back lawn doesn't just puddle in small isolated places when the weather's wet, it slutchy all over!

You could dig down to confirm one way or the other. If your garden is anything like ours you won't be digging for long before you hit the clay. Then you can take it from there once you know what the problem is.

After living in our current house for 8 years we're at the sick to death stage now and plan on rescaping the back garden next year.

 

Yes, definitely clay soil. We had Garden done recently and put arout 6 inches of topsoil over the clay which in Hindsight I would have doubled.

 

I've done nothing in my garden all month really as the soil is too wet and walking on it just makes it a mud pool.
But as long as it does drain in a day after rain I wouldn't be too bothered, I have clay at about a foot down.
Clay subsoil isn't all bad, but the process of just laying topsoil on a hard pan of clay is not a good idea, it needs to be mixed up, or the clay needs breaking up before the top soil is put on.
Sometimes the weather just beats you and you have to wait.

 

What perennials are you planning to plant?

Whatever it is, it might be a good idea to dig some gravel and grit deep down under the planting hole to help with the drainage.

My lawn had a never-drying swamp part next to the paving. I dug a round hole about 60cm diameter and over a spade deep (very hard work in that clay nightmare so that's how deep I got ).

The hole was then nearly filled up it with gravel and some compost mixed in nearer to the top, covered with root membrane and planted with Sarococca and Lonicera Henryi in slots through the membrane.

Then I stuck the bird feeder in the centre and covered the membrane with pebbles and stones.

The swampiness went and never came back. Apparently the very vague idea of creating a drain happened to work.

It has now been all right for some years so apparently leeching clay and roots have not yet filled the pockets between the gravel. The grass now (nearly) looks like lawn around it.

 

Thanks Selleri. So how do the plants manage to grow with gravel below and a thin layer of soil? I thought they would need a deep level of soil, or maybe I misunderstood what you meant.

 

Well, the plants I chose are tough as old boots and probably have wormed their roots into the clay around the drain and below it. The Sarococca has been wimpy but ok-ish and the Lonicera is actually vigorous. A bad photo to illustrate:



In your border you probably don't want nor need such a drastic solution, very likely just digging plenty of grit and gravel deep down will help a lot.

 

I'd try a tarpaulin on the grass or patio, and as much clay dug out as you can feasibly do, dumped on the tarp, then grit and manure forked in to another spade's depth (well mixed together) then the clay mixed again with grit and manure and replaced. It would be ideal for planting moisture-loving things ...here are some ideas...Top 10 Moisture-Loving Plants
You just need to bear in mind preferences for sun or shade and be prepared to water in the height of summer

 

Thanks. If I dig a big hole, will all the water from the sorrounding areas not all just roll drift down into the hole and all collect into that area?

 

It might do, but creating a slit trench with a spade to direct the excess down the garden should be sufficient to cope, if it drains within a few hours anyway. The point of planting moisture-loving plants is that they'll help to soak up the excess, too Evergreens would be favourite as they'll be effective in winter when conditions are at their wettest.