[jdquinn]

Hi guys,

I have a plot at the rear of my house about 50m2 which is very unsightly, full of rushes and all sorts of weeds. The ground is water logged and will take until late May or June to dry enough for it to be firm again. The soil is all imported soil which was donated to us by a friend of my Father-in-law's when he was digging out for a cattle shed. There is a mixture of sub and top soil which was brought over to us in dumper trucks (approximately 40 loads) and moved into place with a bulldozer. The ground is likely to have been an old bog with all the good peat taken off it and so we filled it up again to the level of the fields to either side of the plot. At either side of the plot there is a gully or drain to soak the water away. Presently the water level in the drains is about 3ft below the top of the soil. The soil is absolutely water logged with lots of standing water.

I have given myself 3 options and I'm not sure what to go with:

1) Scrape the top of the soil to remove the rushes and crap, french drain the ground, plough and sow out a playing field type lawn for the kids when they grow up a little. After several years when the kids no longer have use of the ground build a garden of sorts. ( This will happen to a small proportion of the ground anyway for a garden to entertain and relax in.)

2) the ground and try to establish some sort of bog garden.

3) Scrape the ground, french drain and sow out a wild flower seed mix.

Any ideas you may have on this will help me as I really don't have a clue what to do at the minute. I'm fearing the expense of french draining the ground though.