Clever suggestions for water logged border

[Newapprentice]

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• Newapprentice
• 16 Feb 2010
• 1

I am constructing a new path to my shed with a border for plants between the new path and the fence.

What you can't see in this picture is the foundations that these engineering bricks are sitting on. They go down about 3 feet as it is a very heavy clay soil.

It was raining today and it wasn't long before the new border filled with water. The garden falls away from the fence, so before the water would have distributed itself across the lawn and soaked the lawn instead, but now it is trapped.

I was planning on filling this border with topsoil and plants. Obviously one good rain fall and the roots will be soaked.

What can I do? Any suggestions please?

Bog plants? Put some special layer of something to hold the plants and top soil in place and let the water seep over the path and onto the lawn? A pond?

Any clever people out there who have any good ideas?

Many thanks.

 

[leeco]

Dig down 3 - 4 ft lay some pond liner fill it with water and you have a very nice pond

 

[Thermo]

is there anywhere the water can go if it wasnt trapped?

If its heavy clay then your best bet is to dig a fair amount out and replaace it with plenty of compost. That in iteslf will help to hold some of the water and will take it away from most of the plants shallower roots. You could also lay some land drainage pipe in teh base once dug out, but it will need to discharge into somewhere if there is anywhere it can go.

 

[lonner]

how about something like this as its clay and you have taken away its escape.

you will need to sink a small tank to hold the pump and run the hose pipe to where ever it can be pumped.

have used this type of thing in peterborough area as its clay everywhere.

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/p...-float-swi/path/submersible-pumps-clean-water

 

[tripletsmummy]

Hi There.
I too have a similar problem although the water is all in the soil. Ifi press the surface of the soil with my hand the water bubbles up. If i dig a hole to plant something the hole fills up with water and keeps filling up with water. The soil is slush and it is so frustrating. I just spant £7000 to have my garden redone and the drainage is terrible. I too don't know what to do. I also have the edging bricks around the border. I would love to know what solution you come up woth cause it is driving me crazy!!

 

[Thermo]

err if you just spent that getting the garden done, why didnt they sort out the drainage when they did it? WHat sort of ground are you on, do you have any pictures?

 

[Newapprentice]

The whole road is on a hill, so when it rains the water makes it's way down the hill and across all the back gardens. The area is made up of heavy clay.

I appreciate the water problem should be addressed before constructing the garden, however, in a situation like this if you did install drains where would the water actually go in the end?

I know I shouldn't have built this underground wall to hold a path - but you live and learn.

 

[Thermo]

my comment about getting it right before all the money was spent was aimed at the previous post, and not in a nasty way either.

If you put some land drainage in the area, it needs to drain to somewhere, be it a soakaway (unlikely to be much good if the ground is heavy clay) a water course or the surface water system.

 

[Newapprentice]

Thanks for your advice Thermo, much appreciated.

 

[redpis]

Hi There.
I too have a similar problem although the water is all in the soil. Ifi press the surface of the soil with my hand the water bubbles up. If i dig a hole to plant something the hole fills up with water and keeps filling up with water. The soil is slush and it is so frustrating. I just spant £7000 to have my garden redone and the drainage is terrible. I too don't know what to do. I also have the edging bricks around the border. I would love to know what solution you come up woth cause it is driving me crazy!!

I live outside of Huntingdon and the drainage needed called for drastic action:

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• redpis
• 19 Apr 2008
• 4

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• redpis
• 19 Apr 2008
• 4

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• redpis
• 5 Jan 2009
• 2

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• redpis
• 5 Jan 2009
• 3

I have previously posted these pics about my garden project, sorry for duplicating here.

 

[Thermo]

spot on solution

 

[Newapprentice]

Redpis - Thanks for posting the pictures - really helpful.

I assume the drains linked back into the surface water?

Where did you get the drainage pipes from?

Many thanks.

 

[Thermo]

you can get 50mm rolls of the piping from most building suppliers. dont worry about using the special bends elbows etc, most places dont stock them and its just as effective to use normal drainage fittings. If you are only doing it for the bed, then a length run across the bottom of the bed, proabaly one along teh back and one following the front edge tied into some drain somewhere will do the trick! Backfill over it with 20mm shingle, until you get to the depth of compost on top you want

 

[redpis]

Redpis - Thanks for posting the pictures - really helpful.

I assume the drains linked back into the surface water?

Where did you get the drainage pipes from?

Many thanks.

I was lucky that the inspection pit was not too far away so I connected into it for the runoff, the drain pipes were from a supplier in Huntingdon, Cambs.

If you need the address, I can find it somewhere lol

 

[Thermo]

you can get 50mm rolls of the piping from most building suppliers. dont worry about using the special bends elbows etc, most places dont stock them and its just as effective to use normal drainage fittings. If you are only doing it for the bed, then a length run across the bottom of the bed, proabaly one along teh back and one following the front edge tied into some drain somewhere will do the trick! Backfill over it with 20mm shingle, until you get to the depth of compost on top you want

sorry thats 50m rolls! You should be paying between £40-50 a roll +vat