Quote from Guest on 5th February 2022, 12:03 am

Hello Guest

First of all, apologies for not noticing your post sooner, from your post you do have some problems? Personally, I would not plant anything in your garden yet, the water table in your garden is very high, a few things can be carried out but it involves work!!!

I take it your garden is flat, otherwise the water would have run away following the slope of the land, but water can still be present all the time even on a slight incline, if the soil makeup is a clay or silty type soil, silt being the base/bed of rivers and creeks.

Soakaway Pit

Should there be a slight incline in your garden you could dig a deep pit away from your property, dig this to a depth of at least one metre, making it square, at one time these were filled with gravel or hard core, to stop the hole collapsing and allowing space for the water, nowadays one could use plastic crates these being strong and leaving extra space for the water. Do not dig these soakaways near any buildings or fences, anywhere that footings could be affected, it is best to ask about building regulations in your area. Also, a local builder may be willing to advise, as some properties drainage system, apart from waste pipes, has roof water run off pipes to soakaways.

French Drain

Another thing you could try is a French Drain, these being channels dug in your garden filled with gravel running at a slight slope to an area that has a receiving pipe that can direct water to a soakaway, you may have seen these types of drains at the bottom of a sloping driveway, taking water away from the house towards the road.

Double Digging

To double dig, you take out a trench 60cm (18in) wide and a spade’s depth deep. Barrow the excavated soil to the far end of the area to be dug. Then fork or dig over the base of the trench, ideally adding a good amount of grit / organic matter per square metre, to put it another way, you are just digging a trench mixing in compost and or grit or both.

There are also flexible drainage pipes, perforated land drainage pipes used as a collector drain, for removing excess surface water on gardens to a suitable collection point, I’m sure there will be more information on the web.

The above will take a fair bit of time and work, it is all about how far one wants to go with their garden, there is of course another easier way, and can be carried out every time you put in a plant.

I would “not recommend” just buying top soil, your garden needs drainage, there would be a possibility that you could end up with good quality “soggy” top soil

Planting with extras

As an example, you have your flower bed and a plant ready to go in, if the pot is say eight (8) inches across and (10) ten inches in depth I would dig a hole a minimum of six (6) inches either side of the pot, and at least double the depth.

As you said your soil is silty, with the soil you have removed I would mix in with it as a minimum amount, the same of organic matter / compost, along with this at least a quarter amount of horticultural grit, this is going to give the plant nutrients from the compost and drainage from the grit.

Before placing the plant into the hole, fork into the bottom of the hole another couple of handfuls of grit, added drainage, place your plant into the hole and backfill with your soil compost grit mixture, do not press this into the planting hole too firmly, enough to support the plant but not enough to compress the soil, you want the roots to grow outwards and downwards through the new soil compost mix.

You will have some of this mixture left over, fork this well into the ground next to your new plant, this adding a little more drainage material and organic matter, and as you go on planting more, you will be adding and doing good to your flower bed, more grit for drainage more organic matter for nutrients, all helping break down the clay silty type soil, should you wish, there is nothing stopping you buying bulk grit and organic matter and digging both into the whole flower bed in one go, it’s up to you.

When buying your plants always have a look at the information on the label, it will tell you, where to plant it Full Sun, Shady Spot, Half Shade etc, it will also probably say a moist soil with good drainage, so your new mixture along with grit at the bottom of the hole should give it both, if the plant label states Likes Moist Soil, I would just mix the existing soil with organic matter / compost to help breakdown the silty soil and leave out the grit, again not compressing the soil around the roots.

When planning your garden just don’t think all plants have to be placed into the ground, think raised beds, these can either be set onto the ground, and say 2 or 3 sleepers placed on top of each other making the framework, or a planting trough on legs, so no worries there about soggy soil, you could also dig away your soil to about  12 inches deep fill this void with gravel and on top of this area build a rockery, or even fill this void again with gravel or grit and build up a mound of new top soil, so you have a mound of soil, edge this off with some nice rocks and plant it up with grasses, no worries about drainage here, you have your grasses planted on a small hillock and gravel drainage below, and you can make the shape any way you wish, anywhere in your garden.

I hope you have not put too many plants in your garden over the winter months, and hope that all goes well.

Bob