So just to give you an idea of how ever-so-slightly obsessive I/we are being with this, we have not only been tarping the area when it rains, but we post-hole dug a couple of 'wells' and have been using the old pumps from our hydroponics setup to pump out some of the water. From Garden Pictures Note the water table, right after all the rain, only about an inch down! On the plus side, digging down 3ft or so gave me a good idea of my soil strata - after about a foot and a half I hit some clay that looked like I could sit down and throw a terra-cotta pot on the spot. But up until that point, it was (decreasingly) nice and dark brown and more crumbly. So I think my dirt is pretty good :) Hopefully adding my compost and raising te rows as much as possible will improve the drainage. We're also eventually planning on putting a dry streambed through the backyard. But as for the good news - after only 24 hours or so without water falling from the sky, the water table receded to about 5-6 inches down. Progress! Thanks for the advice, everybody - still don't know when I'll be able to start working out there, but hopefully it will be soon, as I have some little ones anxiously waiting! From Garden Pictures ~Emily

You can soak the planting, as mentioned. You can spritz the surface of the soil generously at 10 minute intervals until the tendency toward hydrophobia is no longer a factor. You can add a non phytotoxic surfactant to the water used for irrigation, which will make water wetter, . You can mix a soil amendment into the soil that doesn't become hydrophobic when it gets dry (Turface or Calcined DE would work). These ingredients would become wet immediately when you water, even if the peat doesn't. Once wet, water will gradually diffuse into the dry peat, eliminating its tendency toward hydrophobia. Al This post was edited by tapla on Thu, Nov 27, 14 at 9:06

The dark hue inside the crown is usually a sign that rot is setting in. T. ionanthas do not like terrariums, they need air. Tug on the middle leaves.

There are some native plants that would work for you in that situation. Any of the cultivars of the Panicum Grasses, "Switch Grass" would do very well, they can take standing water, clay soil with poor drainage and drought periods. There are many cultivars that are very pretty. My favorite is 'Northwind' which is so vertical it looks ironed and a sort of deep olive green color. Looking at your picture, the vertical aspect would work in that kind of narrow space by the sidewalk the best. Another fairly vertical one is 'Heavy Metal' which is powder blue and there are some that turn red in fall as well. These get around waist or sometimes chest high not counting the blooms and the clumps get larger and prettier every year. They are very popular in the nursery trade and easy to find all different kinds of cultivars because native grass gardens are sort of an in thing currently. Some other low growing types of ornamental grass would be worth a try I think because they can be pretty forgiving. Physostegia, Spring Obedient Plant will take poor drainage and standing water. Hibiscus militaris, Halbert Leaf Hibiscus grows in freshwater marshes or shallow water and will also take poor drainage. It gets 3 to 8' tall Maximillian sunflower grows wild in ditches around here in slimy clay that later dries out hard as bricks so I know these would do well also but you'd want to plant something at the base which can get ratty looking toward the bottom part. It gets tall like a hollyhock, blooms in fall. Wild Ageratum "Blue Mist Flower" is another. Otherwise, you will have to build up higher. We did that in some areas with a couple of large loads of topsoil and sand and it solved the problem.