After much trial and error, and a Christmas break, I've finally gotten some traction on the mid ground vegetation. Some of the plant populations are still too large, so I'll have to adjust some scaling issues. I've also included soft reflections on the water which makes for quite a nice improvement on the water surface. The noisy water was getting on my nerves so I'm glad to be rid of it. I also need to add something in the foreground, like an interesting rock or bush to spice up the "blandness" of the grass. Good thing there's still time left!
Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement on this project!