I'm getting ready to begin updating my back yard (the ornaments were from the previous owners, btw). I've got it all planned out except for one area: along the fence. This is mainly because it's a weird yard.

First off, the soil here in my area of Northeast Florida is...bad. I know the county is called "Clay County" for some historical figure but it may as well be because that's pretty much what the soil is. In this subdivision, there's about 4-6 inches of dirt then solid clay for...uhm...deep. I'll give you an idea: my neighbor put in a pool. They were still digging through clay at 8 feet and actually busted their backhoe in the process. This is some vile, nasty stuff to dig through.

I bring up the clay because, combined with the odd slope of my yard and the area beyond the fence, it means I have zero drainage in my yard. I get a lake about 3 feet from the fence and it doesn't dry up for about 3-4 days. If you look back at the album, it's hard to gauge the slope but it's gentle at first then it goes sharper and down into the corner I'm standing in. Then, on the other side of the back fence, it goes back up into a long, 3 foot mound. It's like my yard is a trap for water.

My plan for the rest of the yard is to put some stone edging and such around the trees and picnic table in the main area. I'm also going to be putting in lights and such. I'd just hate to have done all the work I want to do for the rest of the yard and have the eyesore of the area along the back fence.

To answer/sum up the suggested questions in the side bar:

• Location: Northeast Florida, south of Jacksonville.
• Soil Conditions: clay. solid freaking clay with a thin candy shell of usable dirt.
• Which side: backyard, facing west (this picture was taken facing north).
• Budget: not much. I plan on doing this over time, little bits at a time.
• Experience level: I'm a computer nerd who, when exposed to the sun is kind of like putting a fork in a microwave; just sparks and a lot of pain. I'm not much of an "outdoors-y" type of person. Trying to change that, though.
• Pictures: See above but in case you missed it: http://imgur.com/a/tCGYp

Well, that's my situation. What would you suggest I do with that area along the fence. In my perfect world, there's be a flower bed of some sorts but I have no idea how to deal with the pooling, much less putting it up against the fence.

Thanks!