Has anyone actually put real grass IN their garden?

[copernicium]

I've an area approx 15m2 that currently has slate chippings. As a result, we don't use it, as it's the back of the garden and we like to wander barefoot. It's about a third of the total garden, the other area is Indian stone. There's raised beds with sleepers all around.

It feels like a fairly simple job to move the chippings and to lay some turf...but it feels like everyone else is ripping theirs up to lay artificial grass. I can't bring myself to lay so much plastic as we are very environmentally conscious.

It's not a feeling I want to have the same as everyone. I'm just thinking if everyone js ripping theirs up, it's for a reason...will I regret laying real grass to a garden that is currently maintenance free...

Artificial grass is the devils work. Terrible for the environment and looks cheap.

@AlwaysLatte I really didn't plan to, it was more the feeling that if "everyone" was removing turf for artificial, was I making a huge mistake removing no-maintenance for turf.

I don't get this whole fake thing. Fake grass, fake candles, fake fires , fake fireplaces. What is this all about?

My garden has lots of visiting birds in and out of the bushes and roses. Lots of busy bee's round the flowers.
I love hearing the birds all day. Our new neighbour however ripped up the lovely lawn and put in fake grass in the exact same place the real grass was. Like seriously? I just do not get it.

I hate artificial grass. Too hot, needs cleaning and shit for the planet. People don't want to use a plastic straw but will wrap their bit of land in plastic

My in-laws took up some areas of chippings & put a lawn in, mainly for their dog. They did sections as it was heavily landscaped, it looked really good. Much nicer.

My husband just reseeded our lawn. You get a better quality lawn than laying turf. Cheaper too. He buys from
www.bostonseeds.com/

Plastic grass is horrible. Think how much grows and lives in real grass! We rarely cut ours, it doesn't need to be manicured.

Ooo I'm glad you've said that! I was thinking of seeds because they were cheaper, nice to know they work well too!

Artificial grass looks really naff.

Our next door neighbour spends as much time cleaning and vacuuming his artificial lawn as I do cutting ours.

Artifical grass is horrible.

We dug a pond during lockdown last year, bought low fertile soil to surround the edges 2 m around it and then used a wildflower / grass mix it is absolutely thriving this year several of the flowers and grasses are as tall as me (5ft6) and full of insects, i bought a large bag 1 kg of seeds and did plant them far too close together by accident but it gives a bit of a jungle feel.

Low fertile soil is cheap by the ton and wildflowers grow best in soil that has a low level of nutrients. Interestingly I planted sunflowers in the area last year whilst waiting for everything to grow and they got to 8 ft.

If you plant a wildflower meadow you trim it in March and then again in September so pretty low maintenance.

Ooh lawn definitely. Nothing like grass underfoot, and you’re barefoot people, so...

I should say, I barely used any of the 1kg wildflower /grass mix seed they go a very long way.

I've just dug up a huge concrete driveway, topsoil and seeded with grass seed (I had a lot of help ). Part laqn, and another area mixed with wild flowers. I am so happy with it.

Go with real grass! It's so much better than horrible fake plastic grass, which I just don't understand.

@Disfordarkchocolate I love your wildflowers!

@TheDiddlyGang

I’m very allergic so no way would I have grass! I have a thrift lawn, it’s reliably drought tolerant and evergreen so never goes brown/yellow, needs no feeding, no weeding, no mowing, has pretty flowers..

I wish everyone would lay it (or chamomile or clover or Irish moss or any of the other alternatives) instead of nasty, ugly, horrible allergenic grass!

We have an accidental clover lawn. Or half, anyway. It's slowly but surely taking over! I love the grass in the back garden but tbf the clovery bit looks fine when cut and is as nice underfoot so I'm not sure too fussed. I didn't realise people did it on purpose, I shall just wait for it to cover the whole lot and introduce people to our fancy clover lawn!

We contemplated artificial for our front abs a combination of lack of sun and awful soil meant that the grass just looked awful, and it was such a small patch that having to lug the lawnmower around (an indirect trip as we have no side passage) was just not worth it but so many near us just look scruffy and fake (I think you can get nice stuff but you definitely get what you pay for) so we slated it instead and it looks great.

Artificial grass looks naff and although it was really popular a few years ago it has not aged well as a concept. We have lots of wild lawn and flowers and loads of aninals, birds and insects. I cant imagine digging it up and replacing it with green plastic.

Absolutely, yes. We've put down turf and seeds, and rate seeds as much more durable.

Try to time sowing the seeds when it will be warmish and rain for a few days after they are sown.
I have two dogs so regularly have to grow back patches of grass.
Luckily I'm in Ireland so a few days of rain is never far away 🤣

Slightly bucking the trend, I took out our front lawn and paved the central bit and put huge borders round it planted 3trees, loads of flowers and loads of flowers in pots on the paving. It means we can use what was a really damp area where the grass grew badly.

The back lawn we are keeping though. It’s tiny and only takes 5 minutes to mow. But I love that splash of green, the daisies and the feel underfoot.

We've just landscaped our small Victorian garden (front of a three story end terraced house) and have laid 35sq metre of turf, alongside laying a patio and building raised beds with sleepers. Our house is on a tree lined street and the garden is fairly shaded because we're surrounded by oak and maple trees, but it's taken well and looks great. I think plastic is horrendous. Makes me think of Dr Seuss' The Lorax.

I can’t see how a clover lawn could be nice as we have ground bees that flock to the clover in our lawn every year. So unless you like having your lawn with stings I would avoid that.

This thread is so refreshing. I cannot stand fake grass. There’s so many good alternatives that don’t involve fucking up the environment for years to come. As a side has everyone seen the petition for it to have planning? Which seems sensible due to the water situation.

I bought clover and daisy seeds. It’s lovely. The bees are so happy. Would have gone wildflower turf if I’d had the money. I’ve also returfed a small patch and literally just unrolled it, pinned in the turf (it was a bank) and watered. Job done.
Choose the time you do it carefully and the rain will water it for you.
Wether it’s seeds or turf it will take a bit of establishing with water.

Artificial grass is awful, it looks terrible, its a disaster for the environment and it gets very hot in the sun which isn’t good for dogs/cats paws or bare feet. It is also a sure sign of people who either don’t care about the world around them, or are a bit ignorant about its impact. I do hope the government ban it soon.

Real grass is very easy to lay, and look after. I got rid of the fake grass at my last flat, I laid the turf myself, it took a while to prepare the soil but it wasn’t difficult. In the summer I would mow it ever 10ish days, but it didn’t need any maintenance from around mid October until March.

Laying grass via seed is also easy, you just need to put some things in the garden to scare the birds away. O