Why would anyone want a soggy lawn when they could have this? Collaborating with a client who felt the same made our sales pitch very short. We found the area in question to be sticky layers of thick, plastic clay. We designed a garden with woodland California natives that thrive in dappled sun and a drainage system to keep their root zones adequately dry. As the garden moves through the seasons, blooming and setting fruit, the closed drainage system wicks away extra moisture to keep all the little roots happy. The extra water is not dumped into the storm drains, but allowed to slowly absorb back into the garden through deep, z-shaped french drains.