What has happened to my lawn? Help

Last year (early August) I laid turf in my back garden and felt like I followed all the required instructions to lay it effectively. I dug up a lot the existing soil, prepared the soil, applied top soil etc and laid the turf really well. When it was first down it looked really good. However what I did start to notice was that the turf wasn't rooting as well as it should. Slowly and surely the turf began to deteriorate and became really wet and boggy. Water was not absorbing and now I am left with a swamp in my back garden (see photos). Can anyone help with what may have happened and what I can do? The garden is totally unusable at present and I really want to be able to sort it. Also how can I help make the soil absorb water? I believe the ground had quite a bit of clay and the garden gets very little sunlight. Any help will be gratefully received. Thanks

 

Im certainly no lawn expert as im still to lay my first lawn. My ground is fairly heavy clay in certain areas but gets good sun. I added 1000 liters of manure late last year to the area I'm going to be putting my lawn on and drainage seems ok. I've also been debating seed or turf. Seems there is a bit more choice if you go with seed as there are better options for different conditions. Eg

Lawnsmith SHADYGREEN Grass Seed

 

Hi @Stephen1yates

to GC and nice to have you with us and you'll find all members friendly.

I'm adding a link on how my hubby layed our turf and it took off fine

Preparation of laying Turf

 

Stephen,

The lack of sunshine is a big problem; the wet cold winter has taken its toll.
Thus the grass hasn't rooted into the soil and the roots have rotted I think. Grass needs reasonable sunlight and decent drainage, two things it seems, you cannot provide. There are other reasons why grass dies off ......leatherjackets, chafer grubs for example...but I think these are not the cause of your problem.

Two things.....try again with grass seed. You can get shady lawn mixture that tolerate (a little better) your conditions. Can you add sand or grit to the top soil to help with the drainage? Spike that area then reseed. It probably will grow during the summer but I suspect the same story will unfold, viz., the grass will die off during the winter.

Or, do you need a lawn there? Lots of plants you can put there that will enjoy those conditions. Or a small pond? Or gravel or slabs? You could spend a lot of time and money trying to make a lawn there when you could consider the options that could make for a very attractive area! Experienced gardeners usually come to accept the maxim "grow what suits your conditions"

Wish you well Stephen

 

Hi Stephen, welcome!

I have similar problem in trying to get a decent lawn in a shady and badly draining spot. I have poked holes and filled them with sand all winter, and things are looking modestly positive. The worst bit however will become a circular stone bed with a Sarococca and the bird feeder. I can't fight the Amazonian Delta there...

Your turf seems to have died, so perhaps sowing shade tolerant grass seeds with plenty of sand would be worth a try?

Verdun had excellent points and a good suggestion, do you really need a lawn there? How about ferns? A selection of evergreens and deciduous ones, small and tall, different leaf shapes and shades... lush, exotic look and minimum trouble Lush foliage would also soften the sharp straight angles of the corner. Adding a small light could make the corner look very inviting in summer nights.

It's easier to adapt to the conditions you have than try to make the conditions adapt to what you would ideally like to grow. It is possible to improve and change things up to a point, but it's hard work and rarely gives very satisfying results. Being lazy and going for the easiest option is a good way to create brilliant garden with less work (which leaves some energy to dedicate to the inevitable fiddly bit things we all seem to fall prey to... moving seedlings with tweezers, creating mini- jungles in bottles, growing impossible seeds... the fun stuff )

Anyways, a warm welcome Stephen!