What can I do to beat the mud and have a natural looking lawn or ground cover?
I live close to the Puget Sound - very wet most of the year. I value having a wildlife friendly natural looking yard that backs up to a feral wooded area. In the last few years a part of my lawn has gone to mud primarily due to almost daily visits from about 7 deer and record setting rains. I've seeded, installed sod, tried moss and all turns to mud under heavy hoofs.
Would a Carex Pennsylvanica, a fine fescue, or Carey Obnupta tall grass withstand the traffic? Oyster shells over grass might look appropriate to the area but, I fear would lacerate deer hooves and still might get overtaken by mud in heavy traffic. I like the green, natural environment and don't like the idea of wood chips, bark dust, or a gravel. Is a stone the only way to beat the mud?
