Question

Hello Everyone.  We moved to our new home over 2 years ago and we did a garden wrapped around our yard but unfortunately we weren't told we had a swale at the back so we had to say bye bye to the garden at the back.Hello Everyone. We moved to our new home over 2 years ago and we did a garden wrapped around our yard but unfortunately we weren't told we had a swale at the back so we had to say bye bye to the garden at the back. Now as you can see it's just complete a mud mess and doesnt look pretty. What can I do to make it look pretty? All we were told is we can't have it so high.  

Answer 1

Plant shrubs and flowers

Answer 2

What is a swale please and what did you mean can't have it too high are you talking about your fence ? and if that's the case you can go to six feet so l or you can plant a hedge high enough for privacy

Comments

@tyrolienne I was wondering the exact same thing?  

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@tyrolienne it's a marshy place I believe

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Can be artificial also, to control flooding (I resorted to Google).  

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Swale is a very shallow sloped ditch

Answer 3

I'd take fence panels off turn round so good side is your side and lower them x

Answer 4

This could look lovely lots of ideas will come from this group good luck

Answer 5

Plant azaleas nice green leaves and full of colour throughout summer and they grow in poor soil

Comments

@stress9965 do you need a special type of soil for azaleas?  

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@danaedanaher Acid soil

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No not at all. I just feed mine in good weather.  

Answer 6

Don't build the borders up too high with soil. The paved area will need somewhere to drain, I think.  

Answer 7

Are you in America?  

Comments

@vignette canada

Answer 8

Wood chip or stones round the edge and lots of plants in pots?  

Answer 9

Never heard of a swale so a quick google tells me

Comments

@beth7083 I never heard of one too so we were quite shocked when we had to dig out most of our soil to the level they needed it to be.  

Answer 10

Google plants for marshy ground maybe.  

Answer 11

Does your fence go over the swale so it can't be enclosed?  

Comments

@ass3743 The swale is inside our yard so its before our fence unfortunately. We were thinking of bringing the fence back to thr concrete.  

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@hosiery oh that isnt too bad but what a bizarre place to put it. Why not just behind the fence. What have your neighbours done.  

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@ass3743 when we moved here we didnt know we had a swale so before we had the back filled with soil and grew vegetables where it looked nice. So now we are left with this. One neighbor did grass and they have the sewer drainage and the other neighbor didn't do theit back yard yet.  

Answer 12

Nice fire pit tho xx

Answer 13

If thats waste land behind the fence could you dig a new drain channel out there so you can use your garden fully? Is it on your house plans/ ground plan that you have to keep the area clear and its on your property? Seems odd.