A musing on AstroTurf and wildlife...

[katewitch]

I posted this week about "doing something" with my new build square box of grass garden. I've ordered a bunch of flowering shrubs, lots of hebes (easy for a beginner!) and am hoping that my garden will be full of lovely bees and butterflies come summer

However... every other garden I can see along my street - front and back, and it's a considerable number from the upstairs windows - has instead installed AstroTurf and decking. The local group is full of people showing off their new and grass-free plant-free gardens.

Each to their own, if they like it, but it got me wondering - will there even be any wildlife/insects about to come to my garden really? There's a nearby local nature reserve and a lake round the corner so they're out there somewhere! I just wondered if thwy would even come that far?

Please forgive me if this is a stupid question

Of course, weird it’s every other garden, but that still leaves loads of gardens, so yup.

I'm afraid we are looking at putting in patio and astroturf. Currently we have decking and gravel (the biggest cat box in the area! ) and even the raised beds were filled with concrete and gravel. We're putting in a lot of raised beds, filling them with bee friendly plants, and a few veggies (for the DC to grow for fun) which leaves a small square, which we'll astroturf. Otherwise I'll need to buy a mower, or strimmer, and somewhere to keep it. I'm hoping we'll get the balance about right, between something we can maintain, and actual plants, and space for the bees.

We have a small patch of Astro amongst patio (partner is severely allergic to grass!) we've balanced this with borders all the way round filled with plants and 5 large trees, we get loads of wildlife!

If you build plant it, they will come...

This US report gets a bit technical, but says (on page 16) that it doesn't matter how isolated or small your garden is, it will be helping wildlife. It makes sense because the diversity of fruit, seeds, flowers and vegetation that wildlife can access will be extended with the addition of your garden, versus just what is in the nature reserve alone.

"...private gardens, taken together, might reasonably be described as the UK’s most important nature reserve. The BUGS project also demonstrated that neither small size nor isolation from countryside seem to be a problem; small, city-centre gardens support much the same invertebrate wildlife as large, suburban ones."

The report also shows there is so much more that urban gardens provide than being a haven to wildlife: capturing pollutants and contributing to air quality, helping prevent rain run-off and flooding, carbon storage and cooling effects to reduce urban heat.

And the link: core.ac.uk/download/pdf/360356.pdf

Nothing inherently wrong with the ease of AstroTurf, but none of them seem to have borders either, I agree it's a bit weird just seems to be the style here? Mostly plan AstroTurf with some decking and that's it, other than the occasional hot tub which I may be a but jealous of as our garden is tiny

It's not every other garden as in odds and evens with an equal mix, it's every other garden as in, as it stands mine will be the only one with plants! There are some evergreen bushes out front and whatnot but nothing that flowers.

This thread is definitely not a criticism of AstroTurf and decking, so much as amusing on how far bees etc will come to my lonely flowering shrubs

It's not a stupid question at all. I'm always amazed at how easily and near-invisibly wildlife moves around. We have a tiny pond in a fenced garden that isn't obviously easy to access. Yet, most years, I find a frog that's overwintered there (spawn has never succeeded, so I know it's travelled from elsewhere).

Insects travel easily and are excellent at detecting what they need. Little pockets of suitable plants in gardens can really help keep them going. likewise feeding birds.

Your garden will be lovely!

Yes, insects travel quite a way.

AstroTurf is such a misnomer..it allows people to show off about what is actually Sheets of green plastic suffocating their garden. I wonder if we called it what it is, whether it would sell as well. It really is the equivalent of concrete as far as wildlife is concerned.

Do you think it confuses birds! Do they try and find worms in it?

Ps recognise tiny pieces of grass are not worthy of a mower, but you can get the old fashioned hand mowers which can be stored under the stairs. Would be great if they made a comeback on these gardening shows.

We have Astro as our garden is a bog when we tried grass or wood chipping. However we have four trees three are potted, hanging baskets, pots and even gutter grown on fence strawberries.

The wildlife will come.