I have some questions.

My first question will be asked by someone else if I don't ask it.

******Where do you live? Be fairly specific as some times the name of a city does not describe the conditions in your area.?

******Do you have any idea to the underlying subsoil structure? Are you on the side of a mountain and there could be solid rock 2' down. Or does the subsurface consist of porous layers of rock which allows water to flow through it?

******Where is your septic system, either digestion tank and leach lines or sewer and water lines lines to the city system?

We are in Southern New England, around 150 - 160 feet above sea level. The subsurface consist of porous layers of rock and not solid rock. The area is known to have a high water table. The property is situated on a slight grade, not flat but not hilly either. There are a couple brooks that run through the lot -- and that part is similar to wetlands -- but they are separate and apart from the areas I describe above.

We receive water through a city water line and have a septic system. Regarding the photo, the septic system is nearby it but the city water line is not.

And several parts of the land that are depressed and water isn't seen on the surface but the ground is soft and clearly with a high content of moisture / water are neither near the water line nor the septic system.

I appreciate your help. Please let me know if you require further description.

A photo from farther back would be helpful. How big is the area, and where is it in the yard as a whole? Landscape looks at the entire area rather than just small pieces in isolation.

How close is “nearby” for the septic? We need to have an idea in order to make planting suggestions that won’t mess with the septic field. Is there any chance this is caused by a malfunctioning septic?

As Mad Gallica asked, is this an area where you need to grow lawn? There are plenty of plants that do fine in damp areas (just not lawn grass), so we would need to know conditions such as light levels and exposure.

Have you lived in the house long enough that you can be sure that this is a year round issue or might it dry out later in the season?

******Where do you live? Be fairly specific as some times the name of a city does not describe the conditions in your area.?

We are in Southern New England, around 150 - 160 feet above sea level.

Sigh! It's hard to drag information from people even when you're pretty specific with the question. My take away is the OP lives at Hawthorne Beach, Connecticut.

Do you have natural springs on the property?

Can you cut drainage into the low spots to drain water away?

@mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY) @NHBabs z4b-5a NH @dchall_san_antonio

The water table is high. Thank you for sharing that low spots should be filled in with dirt and not leaves. I thought decomposed leaves would overtime turn into mulch eventually helping to fill low spots.

Re why do I care, I'm a novice gardener trying to make the garden and woodlands around our house more attractive so it is even more enjoyable to spend time outside. Re why try to fix something that isn't broken, I haven't found the softer terrain enjoyable to walk on at all, am skeptical that grass (or anything else for that matter would grow there, hence my original wondering if just placing palm-sized rocks there would be a recommended plan of action). Skunk cabbage is plentiful along the shores of the brooks but this part is also heavily shaded. The area in the photo gets a lot of sunlight a good part of the day (when there is sun) so I don't know if that matters.

No known natural springs on the property but water table is high. The surface drainage definitely picks up after it rains / precipitation and dries out more during other times year-round.

We would be able (i.e., allowed) to cut drainage into the low spots to drain water away toward one of the brooks -- i.e., that's feasible -- but I would imagine that is 1. a lot of effort and 2. I would be concerned with my ability to install this correctly and thereby whether it's worth the effort.

Thanks for your ideas so far and I'll take a photo from a little further back for you / landscape, light levels, and I'll have to find out where specifically this is situated relative to septic.

For reference, I have a swamp. I also have a known seep near the swamp that is currently somewhere under the brush pile. At some time, I'd like to get rid of the brush pile and plant things like ligularia. There are definitely plants that like squish. A good portion of my side yard isn't really fescue, but some sort of carex. It's green and I mow it, so most of us are happy. I've planted some buckeyes on an island in the swamp since those have a reputation of scorching if they dry out.

Small rocks are really, really nasty to walk on. Places like Gardener's Supply used to sell seasonal boardwalks that could be laid down in spring, and rolled up and stored after things dried out. Those always looked much more reasonable to me. Paving stones are fine if they are a decent size, and set so they don't move when stepped on.

You don't want to cut drainage channels because those will erode. What you want is to encourage sheet flow.

Find some woods to walk in. See how the trails are maintained (or not). And where you are matters. There are very different cultural norms on maintenance depending on how urban you are, the local gardening traditions, and a few other things.

Why not plant a wet garden there? There are lots of wet-feet loving native plants that I wish I could grow but don't have the wonderful conditions that you have. You could create a pollinator garden of swamp milkweed, joe-pye weed, monarda, buttonbush, spice bush, New England aster, Cardinal flower - the list goes on!

Quote: " You don't want to cut drainage channels because those will erode. What you want is to encourage sheet flow. "

Drainage channels are not taking a shovel and digging a ditch to drain the area. The idea is to re-contour the area so it drains through a swales that are deep enough to collect the water and remove it from the area, but shallow enough to allow you to easily mow the through the depression.

The easiest way to create these swales is to remove the sod from the area where you want to create the drainage flow. Then remove the the underlay dirt to a depth about 3" great that you want for the depth. Once you have the shape and the level correct to remove the water, relay the sod. Done right when you are finished your work will bare be able to be seen.

Done right they will not erod, as the grass holds the soil and permits the water to flow through it.

It some time takes a couple of attempts to get the contour of the area proper to allow for complete drainage.

Goals for use of the area and it’s location is important here. What solution will vary with location and goal. For instance, if you want a large lawn so your kids can play soccer, a wet area smack dab in the middle will be an issue and may need so regrading or a revision of goals.If this is near edges, a rain garden with damp-loving plants might be the easiest and most attractive solution.

So for this issue to get really useful solutions suggested, more info is needed.