sedges and rushes work well for a wet area. ie: bottlebrush sedge, porcupine sedge, fox sedge, river bulrush

reed manna grass, blue joint grass and prairie cord grass all do well with wet feet. prairie cord grass, although beautiful, gets real real tall....

have you considered a rain garden for this area? if you type in raingarden on the web search engine you should find lots of information including plant suggestions.

Switchgrass and prairie cord grass will do well (as long as you have at least a half-day of full sunlight).

While looking up prairie cord grass I found this interesting site. I have never bought from them but I am tempted

Here is a link that might be useful: moist meadow mix

Thanks everyone...this gives me a lot of good ideas! I appreciate it!

I have been searching for solutions within my budget and found this site. The 'Meadow Rain Garden' is $15 for 500 sqft. (It is under 'Landscaping with Wildflowers - Shade'). I may also buy 'Grandma's Flower Garden' (in 'Special Use Seed Mixes') to keep my perfectionist neighbor off my back while I experiment. I have been plotting some way to plant a test meadow to fool this guy who hates all 'weeds' and this may be the solution. I am going to surround the test plot with a low picket fence, and a bunch of yard ornaments. Might keep the city inspectors away for a while. Sigh!

Here is a link that might be useful: meadow rain garden

Check Prairie Nursery. They also have several mixes that would be appropriate for your area, they sell only natives, and they are super-reliable.

Are the existing plants weeds or grasses? I would identify what you already have there. When I first moved to my property I began researching what to plant there, and grasses began popping up, and I found I had very desirable short bunchgrasses popping up for the right price. Hydric areas often are looked at as a problem, but they can also be an opportunity. Here in Z9B, I have planted native azaleas, sweet bay, red maple, and other beautiful shrubs, trees, grasses which thrive with seasonal flooding. Research local natives for that area and you might have a very successful area there. Good luck anyway you choose!

Gary