Nearly finished Dalma Darling - just posted some photos up of the garden on my profile

Put in a few French drains where you dig a ditch and fill it with crushed rock to help the water drain. In low spots put in some drains [http://www.homedepot.com/p/Tuf-Tite-16-in-2-Hole-Drain-Sump-with-Grate-and-Seals-2HDS-4/203463511] with pipe running to the French drain. You might also need to bring in 10 yards of top soil along with some sand to raise your yard a bit as you're probably right at the water table level. We've had to do all this as we live in the Pacific Northwest in a reclaimed marsh [a nice word for a swamp] where we hit the water table if we dig down 3". We had to put down about 10 yards of top soil along with some sand to raise our back yard. We also dug a French drain along the back to connect to the associations drainage pipes through the neighborhood. My husband has put in at least 3 of the drains in strategic locations around the yard to help drain off the excess water. Our yard isn't perfect, but it isn't the swamp it was the first couple of years we were here. We have to apply moss killer every spring or it takes over the yard. My husband also puts down lime to soften the soil, and help the water drain easier. He and a friend rent an aerator every summer and do both our yards to help with the drainage as well.

It would help if you could post some photos as this gives us a better understanding of what you are dealing with. It would probably help your thinking if you draw out the space and really think about what your favourites plants are. A mix of some shrubs, climbers and small long flowing plants like geranium rozanne will give you year round interest. Remember right plant right place is a rule for a very good reason! Maybe talk to the neighbours about cutting back any branches on your side of the boundary?

Hi there, My partner and I recently bought a house and we are delighted with it. I’m not very knowledgeable when it comes to gardening but I’d like to have a nice little back garden nevertheless. The garden is quite small but the size doesn’t bother me at all. The only issue I have is the bins in the corner (I’m hoping to get bin covers at some point) and the neighbour’s side wall which is currently being built. I know it will look much nicer when the building and painting is done, and thankfully these windows will be frosted as they are their bathroom windows. However I’d like to have some ideas to « hide » or change the focal point of our back garden when I look out my kitchen windows. Is there any tall thin trees we could plant in the back ? I’d like to install a pergola at some point or a decking area in the back but it might be difficult then to plant trees near the wall? Do you have any ideas of how I could do both ?