Replying to a message of WL Sakowski to Brad Crockett:
 WS> Hello, Brad.
Hi - thanks for the post!
 WS> I would have to disagree with taking out the shrubs...
 WS> (wasn't there a reason they put there in the first place?  :)
Right - the shrubs will stay.  
 WS> Why not dig a trench (say, 12-14" deep,)  along the lawn-side
 WS> of the shrub area that you feel is contributing to the drainage
 WS> problem... actually, it  seems, to this gardener, that the shrubs
 WS> would tend more to help drink up alot of that extra water as opposed
 WS> to adding *to* the problem! (but perhaps not...   :)  
I guess it's actually the whole bed that the shrubs are in.  It's raised up 
quite a bit, and surrounded by lawn edging.  I think that water may be 
collecting at the lawn edging.
 WS> Once you've dug
 WS> the trench, line the bottom of it with pea gravel, or whatever, and
 WS> put in some flex-drain tubing, creating something of a french-drain. 
I like that idea.
 WS> You would want to run the two ends out to areas that would offer you
 WS> the most chance of accepting the excess run- off, or perhaps utilize
 WS> a dry-well at each end.
I dpn't really know where the ends of the tubing could go, since the street 
pavement is right at the level of the lawn.  What's a dry-well?
 WS> Now, if the lawn is too *flat* &/or too compacted, that is a different
 WS> matter...  
It is very flat.  It's likely compacted too as a result of having the water 
sit around too long, although we core-aerate each spring.  (Just had that 
done one week ago...)
 WS> contouring may be in order, or, perhaps adding some
 WS> "Sof'n'soil" (trade name for *gypsum*)  
What do you mean by 'contouring'.  Does that mean ripping everything out and 
starting over?  (We have an irrigation system installed.)  And why would you 
want to add gypsum to the soil?  
 WS> Are you in a heavy-clay area?
I don't really know, but when they put the lawn in the put down a bed of sand 
first.
...Brad
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