Laying a new lawn

[thornes man]

I have just moved in to anew home and back garden is like bog and it won t dry out which turned the lawn in to mud any advice on drainage and preperation before i lay a new lawn

[pjm007]

One answer might be to get rid of some of your existing soil and replace it with a good quality topsoil, also dig in lots of sharp sand to imrove drainage.

[woofgang]

Honestly the best thing that you could do is ask your neighbours what their gardens are like or get some advice from a local landscape gardener. If you have a clay seam and or a high water table,you will need to lay land drainage, if its just the result of a wet winter, then adding gravel and spiking may be enough. If you are moving into a brand new house, I bet the builders skimmed off the topsoil and you will need to replace it, also the building activity will have compacted the ground and wrecked the natural drainage. What is your lawn for? Mine is pretty boggy at one end but is always green even in hot summers, but if you have kids, then it needs to be dryer and more hard wearing.

[doctorsteve]

Good advice above.  It may be worth waiting if you can.  Our lawn is a bog at present but has been ok last year.  There is no quick, easy remedy so it may be worth letting it dry out a bit first and just seeing.  You maybe happy with a lawn that is a bog in winter but usable in summer.  Replacing top soil or laying drains is best done with a digger, do not do this yourself with a wheel barrow and spade it is much harder work that you think its going to be.  I speak from past experience