Using plants and trees to improve drainage, help needed!

[EllieMoon]

We're currently getting the garden sorted and have a raised bed at the back of the garden but as the next doors garden is higher and sloped slightly downward it's making our raised bed and the area across the top where we wanted turfed very waterlogged and there's puddles everywhere!

The bed is roughly two feet deep and 10m wide. Can anyone recommend any plants and small trees that love water that would do well in a SE facing garden? We get the sun there from early to around 5/6 in summer. I'm hoping if we can plant it up the garden would be less waterlogged at the top and allow the grass to breathe. We'll be having hardcore and getting quality soil but the landscaper said it's pretty bad. Any advice would be so appreciated! The plan was to plant it up with cherry trees and a small apple with raspberries and strawberries added in for the kids but don't think they'd do so well there now.

Willow trees love to have wet feet and soak up loads of water. They get quite big though, but you can prune them

On BBC iPlayer try to watch The Great British Garden Revival episode on bog gardens (series 2, episode 9), it has some good ideas and inspiration.

You can look up "bog garden plants" or similar online for lists of possible plants.

Examples from www.gardenersworld.com/plants/10-plants-to-grow-in-bog-gardens/:

Gunnera manicata (there are also small varieties)

Ligularia

Iris pseudacorus ‘Variegata’

Zantedeschia aethiopica

Rodgersia pinnata

Lythrum salicaria

Astilbe chinensis

Also have a look at:

www.puddleplants.co.uk/bog-garden-plants-category/

www.lilieswatergardens.co.uk/garden-plants-c-127_98.html

www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=807

Dogwoods are very good for this, if you like them. You do need to keep on top of pruning them in about March to get fresh new stems. I also have lythrums (purple loosestrife) Which can get quite large, astilbes, irises, candelabra primulas. My damp bed is rather more shady than yours.