I suggest Photinia. Very fast growing, gets as tall as you want it, the new growth is a beautiful burgundy red, and it has fragrant flowers.

We have the same problem. When we first bought our lot in 1984 the houses were built up on a pad , but everybody kept the perimeter of the lot " virgin " . During heavy rains our driveways and the area around the house was high and dry with a 10-15 foot circle of water around the boundary line . But it always drained fast. As new people moved in, the house pads were raised from 22 1/2 feet above sea level to now 25 1/2 feet. People also started to fill in the lots to the property line. After the 04 / 05 storm season our so call "native" perimeter was a twisted mess , leaving us expose to the road traffic for the first time. I didn`t even have curtains in my house. At one time I had hundreds of little pink sun dews growing. They have been washed out ! We bought a kaboda tractor and we remove the downed trees ( took down 65 ) . Some of the pines were twisted like a straw. We removed the tap roots, which seems to really help the water to drain. When we dug our pond in 1984 there was a layer of hard pan , about 4 - 6 foot down. Under that there was the whitest sugar sand you ever saw. By removing the pines tap roots it like punching a hole for the water to drain. I just accept that we will hold water on parts of our lot after a rain. I feel grateful that I have as much useable land as I do.

If it gets foot traffic, gravel is a poor choice to my mind unless as Yardvaark recommends that it is restrained by an edging and underlain by geotextile fabric, as well as what Kiminpl commented on, dry enough soil that it won't sink. It would also need to be a type of material such as what is referred to as knit-pack around here, crushed rock (granite in my area) that has very fine, fine, and medium pieces so that it all knits together and is a stable surface that doesn't shift when it is walked on or get kicked into the surrounding grassy areas (where it has the potential to get thrown by the mower.) I am not certain that I see this as easier or less costly to create and maintain than digging down and adding sand as a bed for a set of 2'x2' paver slabs. I think you and Yard are talking at cross-purposes about the turf. Your turf issue is that grass won't grow. As mentioned above by others, a photo (along with some idea of where in the world you are) would help considerably since we are operating blind here. I also think that before doing anything I would add the gutter and seed in shade-tolerant grass to see if that takes care of the problem as it would be the easiest solution.

Closed September 30? So you're in the home as of this month? Congrats on the new home. Nice place. Once you've had a real yard for a while, then not having one will seem almost like punishment. Take your time trying to get stuff done, especially major landscaping -- it is an ongoing issue. Before you ADD landscaping, you should decide how much time and effort and energy and money you want to put in it on an ongoing basis. For now, you may want to just keep the grass and weeds mowed. Putting soil against a tree trunk will eventually cause growths on it and rot that will kill it even though it can take several years to do so. Falling trees can damage a home or car or anything else in its path. If you had lived in the home for all four seasons you'd probably have a good idea which trees you definitely want to keep and which you definitely would like to remove. You might want to begin paying attention to what trees shade what areas and what the trees look like during the different seasons so that by this time next year you'll be able to make a more informed decision as to what trees to to keep and what trees to remove. No rush to remove trees as "landscaping" unless it is dead and could fall, thus poses a threat to persons and/or property. When you're ready to remove trees, you MIGHT be able to find pros that would cut and haul off the trees you want cut in exchange for keeping the lumber of firewood from them; however, if you make such a deal, both you and the pro need to be very clear on what will taken and what will be left... stump, roots, limbs, etc. Ideally, the pros should be from an established local business with liability insurance but, depending upon where you are, there might be some "self employed" loggers, too, that work out of their homes. Talk with a local landscaper and see if they might provide information on options. A pro should know how to make the tree fall away from you home or outbuildings or fence or any neighbor's property. If you're even considering DIY on this, first watch a lot of You Tube vids and Reddit vids, etc., on how to cut a tree and "what could go wrong" doing so before you begin cutting trees yourself. If you just want any tree(s) only trimmed to let in more sunlight, however, that will definitely cost you and it will need to be done during the cold months -- after the sap goes down for the season when the trees are dormant. As to mud or standing water, you might consider the slope of the yard specifically with regard to whether or not it would be practical to create drainage for the mud -- without dumping all the water/mud on your neighbor. You might also want to be certain that a problem with your septic system is not contributing to the problem -- do you have a septic tank and where is it and where are the drain lines or utility sewage lines. You need to know where any/all the utilities are buried before doing any major digging. Depending upon whether or not you'd actually use it, it might be worth considering to create a deck and/or boardwalk over some of the more problem wet/muddy areas. IF you don't have a septic tank and drain field, and after you talk with a local landscaper. you might plant the kind of tree(s)/plants that like a lot of water (weeping willows come to mind) to see if they'll absorb more water more quickly. Note: The "thirsty" trees can fill up your tank and drain pipes with roots. Search the web and talk with landscapers: Be careful not to plant an invasive species or you'll be creating work for yourself long term.. In a really shady area, I like moss. It can take a few years to spread to cover the shady dirt/muddy areas but when it does, you can mow over the moss to get rid of any weeds and not have dirt sprayed everywhere. The moss becomes an outdoor carpet, albeit a damp one in a damp area. As you decide what to keep/plant, keep in mind how you'll maintain it -- can easily mow your yard around whatever plants you'll have in your yard with the kind of mower you'll have -- gas powered push or riding mower.