Gardening

She suggested the first thing we do is dry out the soil in a natural way with a weeping willow tree. Then she gave me a tree!! No charge!

It seems she had this tree that was damaged and was ready to toss. She gave it to me since, give the location, looks would be a non issue. The tree will absolutely recover, but the whole top/leader will need to regrow, so there will be a few years before it looks right. Meanwhile, true to the trait of a willow, it will start draining/drying the soil by gallons per day. This particular tree will only contribute dappled shade, not a dense cover. Next year, after the soil is more dry, we'll plant hostas as a ground cover. They resemble the local skunk cabbage that grows along streams so it will have a more natural/indigenous look about it.

We have several friends and neighbors who have offered us hosta sports in the past. I'll take them up on it next year.

This isn't a quick fix, but it sounds like a good plan, given the area.

Thanks everyone, for your suggestions!