I just did research that said cattails need at least a 1/2-1" of water to thrive. Right now the back yard is pretty soggy but the area we plant to put the cattails or whatever in isn't huge. This part of the yard is almost always wet because of a spring. We've even thought about digging down for a pond but not right now. Anyway, if we planted them, they wouldn't spread too far, right? And if they did, they would die after the water dried up unless we made sure we saturated the area? And if we want to be rid of them in the future, we could try digging up what we can and put plastic down to stop re-growth, right? We just realized there are some cattails growing up at my DH's family camp. So we may be able to get some from there....Really don't know of any pond stores in the area and Lowe's doesn't have anything that I can tell. Most of the grasses are for semi-moist to dry. They probably wouldn't do good in this spot when we're getting a lot of rain. Thanks!

There is also pickrel rush, ice ballet milkweed,cinderella milkweed (pink) ribbon grasses, several types of rushes, many types of sedges, spider lillies all types, mints all types ( warning mint can be very invasive), pink flamingo water celery, obediant plant, most types of cannas once they are up and have the first leaf unfurled, many types of taro,lousiana irises, japenese irises, ragged robin, hardy purple thalia, if part of it is shaded in the afternoon white butterfly ginger, elephant ears, calidums, celosa,impatiants ( impatiants can take full sun if wet enough). If you go to the ponds forum you would be surprised at some of the terrific plants that like wet feet.

First of all, does your neighbour know this happened? Ideally, your neighbour should give you a leftover piece of their sod that you could use after you fill the depression with soil. If you're lucky enough for this to be the case, make sure you allow for settling and build the soil up a bit higher than the existing grass. I have a spot like that from a truck, too. That's where I got my new load of dirt put so the leftovers fill in the dip. Don't get me started on contractors and delivery people. Some contractors, in particular, seem to be among the most inconsiderate people around. DH was a contractor many many years ago, and was well known for cleaning up any mess and not damaging people's property. Has anybody else noticed the amount of garbage flying around when contractors are building? Wind storms and contractors don't mix. Rant =:)

Most of the better local retail nurseries will sell lawn seed blends specifically formulated for this area. I believe one of the local labels is Professional's Choice or something similar. I'd look at these before selecting something from Lowes or HD that service a much larger market and do not have a more directed regional focus. Both Swanson's and Sky carry this label or similar. I'd also get some info on preparing for and seeding a lawn from that same nursery - the prepartion to plant a lawn is likely more important to its success than the type of lawn itself. Most better nurseries will have detailed handouts on this subject as well as pamphlets prepared by the city and the various public utilities on organic lawn care that are very helpful. And turf grasses suited for this area are not drought tolerant. It is simply not in their genetic makeup, although you can encourage increased drought tolerance by careful preparation of the seed bed as well as the way you maintain the extablished lawn. If you want true drought tolerance, you will need to select some sort of non-grass groundcover. I read an article yesterday that referenced a savings of 57-75% of watering needs if one opted to plant something other than turf grasses - the higher number related to very drought tolerant groundcovers and plants.