Landscaping in Manchester is a millyard of brick and a neighborhood of small yards, not a suburban lawn. Courts in the Amoskeag buildings are paving, drains, and little soil. West Side lots are tight, with roof water aimed at foundations and a fence that may hold the grade. The North End has more trees, more grass, and the same freeze that heaves a thin walk. The Merrimack is an edge condition for the blocks that face it. Say which outdoor space you actually have.
A clogged court drain floods a basement that the flat roof is also stressing. Downspouts on a wood house that end at the sill feed rot and ants. Street trees heave steps and fill the valleys that then ice. Snow has nowhere to go in a mill court, so the pile sits on the only entry. That is a drainage and access problem, not a request for flowers. Dogs and a small dirt yard become mud in April.
Shade beside a tall mill wall is deep and the soil may be fill. Raised beds belong where overflow cannot run down a ramp into the building. A North End maple over a roof is a gutter and ice problem first and a shade problem second. Salt from the street burns the front shrubs. Ledge shows up as soon as you leave the deepest fill of the yard. Do not dig a drain without knowing what the court already does with water.
A low spot that takes river-side street water is not a planting bed. Say so. Heaved brick, a failing fence, a tree in the roof, and a court that ponds are different jobs. Pick the one that is damaging the building. Spring is when the mud shows the truth. Describe where the water sits an hour after rain and where the snow bank always lands.
Describe mill court or house yard, and the neighborhood. Mention drains, trees, and any shared fence. Have one priority. Call the number on this page.