Has anyone got any suggestions - water issues!

[JonSnowedUnder]

Been living in our house for a few years now and the bottom corner of the garden has always been a bit marshy and wet. We've ignored it for the most part as our garden slopes and we've got raised decking which covers most of that part so its never really bothered us. I'd say the area is about 10ft by 10ft. Recently we have done some landscaping in a different part of the garden - higher up the slope, and this has increased the water in the bottom corner. Our neighbours at the side and the back have patio areas on the adjoing plots and the neighbour from the back has just been round to say there is now a constant run off of water onto her garden patio (our garden is higher on the slope). A bit more than a trickle but not flowing.

I believe its all ground water (our street sits above a stream) although the neighbour seems concerned its our drains/house water run off. Obvioulsy when we have done the work higher on the slope it has channelled the water down.

Any suggestions on the best way of dealing with it? Could we get away with plating some good moisture absorbing plants or is that unlikely to make a noticeable difference or do we need to install a pump/french drain etc? I'll be speaking to some gardeners but it's not really an area I know much about so it would be good to hear if anyone has dealt with any similar before I get anyone out. Also if it's something we could deal with by planting we could probably tackle that ourseleves - I've been struggling to get gardeners out to even quote for a simple garden tidy. Our landscaping was done by builders when we were having some work done on the house, they could probably do something in terms of adding a pump but we would need to tell them exactly what to do.

Hope that all makes sense!

Hopeful bump! I guess my question is, can planting a few ferns etc make a decent difference or do we need something more?

Could you have a pond there with a bit of bog around it? I don't know if you would be back to square one once the pond was full with it overflowing into next door. I think it is mostly mature trees that drink up hundreds of litres a day. You could have a lovely time planting up a bog garden, Gunnera is so dramatic and fab.
If your street is over a stream then surely it's a communal problem. Invite all your neighbours round for cake and coffee and see what solutions people come up with.

Thanks @PerseverancePays for the suggestions. Yes, need to have more of a chat with the neighbours, tbh I'm surprised they havent had a problem before now given that we are all low down on a slope and they have large areas of patio.

dont go for a pond - a pond in an already wet area is actually not a good idea. It will just overflow when the weather is wet and make everything worse (and yes, I do speak from experience here - I also thought a pond in a wet part of the garden was a great plan - it wasnt!)
What did work for us was planting a twisted willow tree. That and a few shrubs in the corner has really helped. The willow is relatively small(for a tree),grows quickly and can be pruned, but is great because it likes damp conditions. Something like that might work for you.

Yes, agree with planting a willow. They absorb lots of water, can be hacked back regularly, good for birds and will provide a green screen between gardens.

I agree a willow will be good for soaking up water, but I would just make sure you look up the distance they need to be from houses etc and make sure that's the case. I have a vague memory of them having quite ferocious roots that are fine but just need to be far enough from a house (/patio ? Not sure) that they don't cause problems.

Willow looks like it would be helpful but I think it's too close to the house!

Don't plant a willow anywhere near buildings or drains, they are rampant and the roots will find their way into drains.

They don't drink anything at all in the winter anyway, when they have no leaves.