What to do with this area

[Cluelessgardener]

I've got, what I can only describe as a clay alleyway in my garden. It was a slope covered in weed membrane and chipbark which used to wash into the drains so I cleared it out.

I started digging it out before realising how much hard work it was and have since had a couple of people round to give me quotes to build a sleeper retaining wall, finish the digging and concrete over it.

The quotes were just too much for a side path which adds no value, and im feeling the urge to dig again but I'm a bit stuck for ideas of what to do with it. I'm thinking retainer sleeper wall still, high gate and fence and maybe just a flower border instead of adding yet more concrete to my already awful garden.

Does anyone have any ideas or tips?

Oh jesus. That is a mess. That doesn't look like natural clay to me. It looks like 'building shite clay' which is a man made mixture of rubbish from a building site, builders sand, a potentially broken ready mix concrete bag, and subsoil all mixed together.

No way can you dig that with a fork without breaking said fork, your hand or your achilles heel (wisdom from experience!). I would recommend what I call 'super heavy giant pointy stick' and some steel capped boots.

www.uktoolcentre.co.uk/products/roughneck-digging-bar.html

Does it get any sun? I've had a long strip like that, sunny, dry, awful ground - layer of topsoil then planted lavendula all the way along- I made it grow into nice tall mounds, looked gorgeous, smells great as you brush past.

I would add some decorative stones and turn it into an alpine garden

@LemonSwan isn't it just. To be fair the tiles are there because we repaired the roof and haven't got round to clearing them but the clay is full of random crap too.

Thanks for the stick recommendation, I'll give it a try. I just used a spade and brute force last time.

@RainingZen yes it does get sun in the afternoon I believe, I do love lavendar so that's a really good and minimal upkeep effort shout, thank you. Would it need much topsoil, as in depth?

@whatisthisinhere my only weariness of stones is there's so many cats around here and they seem to love my garden so I'm scared to essentially make a giant cat toilet 🤣 I probably need to look into ways to cat deter

Pick axe should loosen it all up. Get rid of the concrete posts your side.

Yes to sleeper wall at the front of the bed next to path level with the base of the fence at back. The sleepers can sit on a level base of hardcore, if all connected together (steel plates at the back) the weight should hold them in place. Return the sleepers back to the fence where the gate is, it looks like the level difference nearer the road is much less.

There are shrubs which can be planted that can grow up and screen the fence. Keep it simple with a few different plants rather than loads of bitty things.

@crapbuttrue that's very helpful thank you, I'd not thought of doing it like that.

@crapbuttrue what do you mean by this "Return the sleepers back to the fence where the gate is, it looks like the level difference nearer the road is much less." Bit confused on that point. Do you mean create a border at the edges with sleepers either side of the fence?

Right, I've ordered everything, will update once we've completed it, thank you all for your help :)

Like this.