Very waterlogged boarder? Will any plants survive?

[Twinkie01]

As above really. We've a boarder around our patio, SE facing and planted lavender a couple of years ago. One side of the garden thrived but one side, due to poor drainage and beds being under water just died!

We're extending our patio so where the lavender did take won't be a flower bed anymore! I'll put current lavender in pots on corners of pathway to garden but would like it to be uniform all the way across

Is there anything we can plant there that will actually survive? I think it's clay soil.

We did put troughs on there and planted veg but it was a huge faff and looked untidy.

Mind you our whole garden is a bit of a swamp at the moment so once the snow thaws it might just be a big mud hole!!

Roses love clay soil. Chuck some of them in. David Austin has loads of different sorts and you can select by how much sun they get.

Even roses won't survive waterlogged soil as there won't be any air to their roots. Clay can be improved re drainage by digging over with organic matter and sand then make sure to avoid compaction. It might be worth putting in a french drain or similar to help

The perennial lobelias are one of your best bets. Upright and beautiful and perennial as well - pink, red, purple! I literally have them drowning in water and they are basically marginals.

Look for marginal irises as well. They will thrive in the wet. When nurseeries want to get rid of them, you can get them £2 for a 2 to 3L pot. And you can divide them.

Probably Primula Candelabras which they have en masse in Harrow Carr and Nick Bailey was talking about them - it was a lovely sight to behold. (the flowers I mean; Nick is nice, but I want to shave his facial hair! He's very knowledgeable!)

Basically, google marginal + perennial and you will see more. Hope it helps.

Astilbe - lovely frothy spikes of flowers in white pink or red, above attractive foliage. Yellow loosestrife (Lysimachium species) purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicifolia). Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris).Ragged Robin, Lychnis flos-cuculis in pink or white. Lady smock Cardamine pratense - there's also a double variety.

OMG , thank you so much. Am googling. Such great suggestions.

DH is going to be 🙄 when I drag him to the garden centre again but happy that these ones won't die!