Until very recently, I’d always written astroturf off as something that only belonged on hockey pitches. This despite the fact that in the past 3 or 4 houses we’ve lived in, our garden lawns have always caused an issue.
For instance, in our last house we decided to get rid of the scraggy lawn (about 5 years before we had kids) and pave the garden instead – something we regretted as soon as our kids arrived. And in the house we’re currently in, the lawn is absolutely crap – there are tree roots coming up in the middle of it, not to mention all the gravel that has got knocked onto it by the children – slowing ruining my lawn mower with every cut.
A couple of weeks ago, a friend and fellow parent named Christopher shared some instagram photos of his brand new astroturfed garden. Having realised he didn’t have the time or energy to get rid of the large lumps of concrete in his yard, he has opted to fake-it until next year – an especially wise choice given he has two young children, eager to play in the sun.
Christopher’s new garden got me thinking about how artificial grass might actually be the solution to a lot of parents’ garden woes. Here’s a few reasons I thought of – though I’m sure there are many more…
Maintenance – you don’t ever have to cut the lawn again. You could spend the time you save lounging in the sun (or more likely, tidying up after your children in the sun)
All-weather – If it’s been a typical British summer and you’ve had tonnes of rain, you don’t have to worry that your lawn is going to turn into a giant mud bath. It doesn’t get ruined by snow, either.
Hills – A lot of people apparently choose astroturf when they’ve got an especially hilly garden, which makes a lot of sense when you think about it.
Tree roots – We planted bamboo in our first flat, and spent the next 10 years regretting it, as the roots popped up all over the garden. You don’t need to worry about that with a good coat of astroturf.
Super-soft – A fake lawn can be especially good for small children, as it’s soft under foot and hard-wearing. You won’t need to worry about them getting grass-stains on their clothes, either.
Having done some of the research, I’ve realised that my previous preconceptions about this magical stuff might have been very wrong. I’m certainly going to consider it seriously in future, especially if we inherit yet another garden with a crappy, ill-kept lawn!
This post was written in collaboration with the lovely people at Artificial Grass Direct. You can probably guess what they sell. All opinions stated are my own, though.