Question
I live in houston, tx. I recently bought a property with 0.4 acres. My back yard has a lot of standing water in some areas after a hard rain.I have some grass and areas of mud. I cannot stand the mud and really donn't have a lot of money to plant grass or place gravel. I am looking for  the easiest way to cover the area. The muddy areas don't get much sun due to large trees. I placed cedar mulch in some areas just to have a walking surface without mud. Is this a good alternative? Will it absorb the water well as long as it is deep enough mulch? Will it last or would it float away or be blown away? I don't want to waste money but cannot stand the muck any longer. Any suggestions? Thanks

Answer
Hi Rosemary:

You have a major problem that will not be easy and cheap to solve. First of all with large trees, that do not allow the sun to penetrate to the soil surface, it will be all but impossible to plant and maintain turfgrass. The cedar mulch will eventually work its way down into the soil and will need to be replenished periodically. I have been trying to decide what I would do in your circumstances and without spending a great deal of money.
This is what I would do:
1. Using concrete patio pieces 8 inch by 16 inch by  2 inches thick, I would place them so they would make a sidewalk 32 inches wide. I would bring in enough soil to place under the sidewalk to make the level of the sidewalk high and dry after heavy rains. I would place the soil at least 1 foot on each side of the proposed sidewalk and I would compact the soil before placing the patio pieces in place. Make the sidewalk curved and think about what you may want it to lead to in the future such as a patio or bench.
2. Spending a little money at a time I would bring in a few bags of top soil (Available at most garden centers or Home Depot, or Lowe's). I would spread it out from the sidewalk area to fill in the depressions with a garden rake.
3. I would plant Vinca, Hostas, Ferns, Lily of the Valley or other shade loving ground cover in the areas that I put the top soil.
4. Over a period of two or three years you will have the makings of a woodland garden that could very well be the envy of the neighborhood.

In short, forget the turfgrass. It will not grow under the dense shade you describe.
Forget the cedar mulch. It will slowly dissolve into the soil.
Go for a woodland garden

Some web sites you might be interested in are:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1518.html
http://aggie-turf.tamu.edu/aggieturf2/lawns/lindex.html
The last web site indicates that St Augustine grass will grow in the shade. You will find it quite expensive and it does not stand much traffic in the shade.

Floyd McMahon