In article , Dan Welch
writes
Hello,
We've recently moved to a brand new house - which means, of course, that
there's nothing in the garden. It's level, but that's about it. The house is
built on old school playing fields and so the soil appears to be OK.
All is well except for one corner, in the part of the garden I have ear
marked for vegetables. It is extremely poorly drained and normally has some
standing water if it's rained in the last few days. I've put some raspberry
canes in that general area but have avoided the waterlogged area.

Wait till the summer - it may be just a winter problem, in which case
you can grow veg on it in the summer and just ignore it in the winter.

Rhubarb seems fairly tolerant of a damp situation, though not too sure
about whether it likes standing water.

Or you could build a raised bed on it and grow shallow rooted things -
ie most veg.

What
plants really like very wet soil? I think that I could plant a willow tree,
but that's not ideal. Watercress would probably grow there but I have a
limited capacity for that! I'd love to accept the site as it is and dig a
pond there, but we have a toddler so that's something best avoided. Any
thoughts?

Look at the bog garden section of your local nursery. Marsh marigolds,
Geum rivale, ragged robin are some of the things I have in a similar
situation. If it doesn't dry out in the summer, a bog garden can be very
attractive - quite a few urglers would be pleased to have the chance.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"