Hi all,

We have a problem area in our back yard that I would like to turn into a
nice garden this year.

First off, we're in Zone 5, Toronto area, Ontario Canada.

The house is about 10 years old, in a standard subdivision. Chain link
fence was just installed a couple of years ago to enclose the backyard.

The house basically sits on a "hill" or higher level, with the back yard
sloping down towards the back.

At the back, along the length of the fence, there is basically a "valley"
there that gets very wet and collects lots of water. It gets full sun.

There are neighbours on the left, right and along the back.

I would rather not get into any complicated installations, such as putting
in a French drain. I prefer to work with what I've got and turn the wet
area into a garden by planting it with perennials hardy to Zone 5.

Neighbours on the right have tried filling their wet area with soil and
planting "swamp cedars". They lasted one season before dying. I also tried
transplanting raspberries into that area - they died within weeks.

I have gone to monrovia.com and found a list of perennials that would be
better suited to the site. (Irises, etc.)

My questions a

1. Can I just fill this area in with soil? Do I need to put in a barrier
between the soil and the back fence (half is chainlink and the other half is
wood)? Should I put in a border of some type to contain the soil, like
wooden ties?

2. I couldn't find any evergreens suited to those conditions. Any
suggestions for winter interest plants that can tolerate soggy soil?

Thanks for any suggestions you can provide!
Sally