Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Oct 22, 2012 3:08 pm Hi all, Just wanting to know if somebody can help me out if possible. I have a not so big (600×1800mm approx.) area in front of my home at the end of my driveway which never gets any sunlight. Whenever it rains here (and does constantly where I live), it floods up this area. Over the past year I have tried planting various plants there, all which have died off due to too much moisture in the ground. The only thing that does grow there are weeds. It's best to describe this area as a sludge pit as all it is is a big muddy mess! Can anybody please suggest some ideas to turn this eyesore into a respectable feature of my front garden. Re: Help: sludge pile... nothing but weeds grow! 4Oct 22, 2012 4:48 pm If nowhere to drain the best thing could be a raised bed. this will keep the top of the plants dry but the roots won't have to go down far to get water. Even if you raise the top by only around 100 -150mm above the surrounding paths it should make a difference The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Help: sludge pile... nothing but weeds grow! 5Oct 22, 2012 8:12 pm Yep that sounds good. And maybe think about removing some of the sludge and replacing it with new soil in and under the raised bed. I know it will just get wet just like the sludge, but wouldn't the sludge have an odd microbial profile? Start from scratch. Go down to your local garden centre with a jar of the sludge and see what they advise. P.S I know not much about gardening so please forgive me if I'm sprouting nonsense Re: Help: sludge pile... nothing but weeds grow! 6Oct 22, 2012 9:31 pm Is this like a "planter box", surrounded by the house at the back and paths/driveway on front and sides? Anyway, if it's right up against the house, AND the area suffers from bad / no drainage and is too flat, can you consider to forget the idea of growing something there and either: a) place some decorative gravel and some tall-ish garden ornament, or b) do a similar thing but use potted plants (large pot) BTW, if rains flood up that area, I think you really need to forget about how it looks and do something about the drainage as it could hurt the house foundations. (and then think of good looks) ... IMO My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Help: sludge pile... nothing but weeds grow! 7Oct 22, 2012 9:44 pm Sounds like you need some swamp-loving, low-light plants there . Does it get any sunlight or did you mean literally none at all?? Joe, it depends on your certifier but we are noticing the ones we deal with are really cracking down. So i would recommend you follow your approved landscaping plans to… 4 10960 Hi Simeon, Thank you for laying it down for us. Makes sense. Appreciate it very much. Have a nice day. Cheers 2 9003 |