Artificial grass?

[AHungryCaterpillar]

I’ve got an area in my garden that’s just awful, whoever lived here before me has for some reason laid patio on a slope! Meaning it’s uneven and can’t be walked on, can’t put grass there as it’s a shaded area and under a huge tree so be told it won’t grow. I was thinking of putting some artificial grass down there, would this be a good solution as at the moment the area is unusable? nothing can go on there and you can’t walk on it.

Nooooo not artificial grass! It is super tacky and awful for the environment.

There is always something that can be grown, it is hust a question of research.

Do you want to be able to walk on the area or just for it to look nice? If it is just for visuals then there are more options. How big is the area?

I want to walk on it as I have children and it really cuts down the size of the garden, it’s only a small garden anyway, about 30ft? It’s under a conifer which I will not be getting rid of and I’ve been told nothing will grow under it?

It is hard to advise because if what you want is plastic grass I will probably just annoy you! I hate plastic grass, it is an abomination IMO, I would rather have bare earth which is at least better for wildlife.

Is there no scope to remove the conifer and make the whole space nicer?

I’ve already said I won’t be removing the tree.

Cultivate moss. Zero maintenance and lovely to walk on

Picture?

At the very least an alternative would be a bark play area. Play equipment could go there? If it’s a conifer it will be dry under there as they take up the water, so you can slowly add plants for shaded dry areas.

I've got a bit of plastic grass, I love it. Ots softer underfoot than concrete and doesn't hold water or mud, so the dc can play on it most days of the year.
I know its like saying you smoke crack cochineal on here to have plastic grass, but I LOVE mine.

I don’t have a picture of it on my phone unfortunately. I wouldn’t mind bark but would bark just turn into a massive cat toilet? I have a cat and we have regular ones that visit our garden. Not willing to get rid of the tree as my garden backs onto another house, there house is literally behind my garden (rather than garden backing onto garden) so for me it’s important for the privacy!

@TonkaTruckduck crack cochineal

Fake grass is awful but I can see why it might be a solution to your problem

Not sure why bark more likely to be cat toilet than anything else?

Check out this google image search for dry shade - lovely things!

www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&sxsrf=APq-WBsKBPfcNCWoDHoQkLXi6JFMMoImRw:1650119807301&q=shade+garden+under+conifer&tbm=isch&chips=q:shade+garden+under+conifer,online_chips:dry+shade:qAg2i7zcNlg%3D&usg=AI4_-kTIoPksDhpbLPjNnEu4URSrxYwo8A&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiFvc2n55j3AhXHQUEAHbNZD7YQgIoDKAB6BAgLEBo&biw=2034&bih=1005&dpr=1.82#imgrc=IljtZ24eh18nfM

I agree with the moss lawn idea suggested by pp here is an article on how to look after it www.gardeningknowhow.com/lawn-care/lawn-substitutes/moss-lawn/how-to-grow-a-moss-lawn.htm

(Also agree that bark chips are very likely to be used as fancy cat litter - my cats love it when I use a bark mulch - they immediately start pooing in my borders.)

Please try to resist the temptation to put down plastic grass. It's not great stuff,

I heard cats love bark as see it as a litter tray? I’ve heard that a lot so I’m assuming it’s true

We had a shady lawn that was actually 95% moss - it looked wonderful! Most people just thought it was grass but it was actually much easier than grass (no mowing required!). It was really soft and comfortable to walk/sit on. I agree with the others and think artificial grass is horrible.

Cats in my area hate bark; they like nicely dug over clean soil. I've literally never seen a cat even walk on our barked play area.

I wouldnt go for artificial grass myself (my DH would but I hate it and even after a lot of research I said no!), it is a very polarising product. There are some more environmentally friendly products available, there's one called Stockholm Eco which is 80% recycled plastic and can be recycled when it's life ends.

A few things to get the best from it; you need to lay a double layer of weed control membrane and ensure it runs at least to the edge of the grass. You want to make sure it won't "puddle" - a good way is to lay a thick layer of permeable chipping eg limestone chips underneath it. If there is a chance pets will piddle on it, make sure you get a type of chipping that has fine-grade chips sifted out, to avoid the lingering stink of animal urine.

If there is ever direct sun on it in summer, you will want to infill with sand to control the temperature so you can still walk or sit on it when it is hot.

Beyond that it's not an unreasonable solution to your problem, to be fair.

@WildCherryBlossom

I agree with the moss lawn idea suggested by pp here is an article on how to look after it www.gardeningknowhow.com/lawn-care/lawn-substitutes/moss-lawn/how-to-grow-a-moss-lawn.htm

(Also agree that bark chips are very likely to be used as fancy cat litter - my cats love it when I use a bark mulch - they immediately start pooing in my borders.)

Please try to resist the temptation to put down plastic grass. It's not great stuff,

That's a great article, thank you.

Haven't looked in a while but isn't there faux bark made of ground-up tyres dyed brown? Permanent & probably not attractive to animals.

Still say go for the moss though. It likes acidity and looks lovely.

Yes the moss lawn sounds lovely.

You will have a lot telling you to avoid artificial grass. We laid it in our last house. Like you we wanted something mainly so the DCs could play in the yard. We had a really large yard.

Depending on the areas size you can get decent cut offs. My friend has a couple she moves around, she has a decent flagged outdoor area she changes around.

We paid for a mid range type, I did research on feel, studyness etc.. got something that could withstand lots of kids running on it. DH fitted it himself easy enough to but it was on a flagged concrete surface so was easy enough for him. He just watched lots of YouTube videos before he did it.

I certainly don’t regret buying it, far less injuries with the DCs, it meant we could put out a paddling pool, a play house without them scraping their knees on concrete floors and it just looked nicer with no maintenance like the pain the the ass muddy weed ridden lawn we have now.

And as far as I know it can definitely be put on a sloped area.

Lots of people on MN hate artificial grass but I have it in my garden and it's great. The soil in my garden is a very heavy clay and I tried and tried to grow a lawn but it was just impossible.

The artificial grass looks great and as I have flower borders, lots of pots and trellis heaving with honeysuckle and clematis, I don't see it as a problem environmentally.

If you have an area of your garden where it's impossible to grow grass, I'd go for it with artificial grass.

Fake grass is clearly very convenient but the uncomfortable truth is that people are against it because environmentally, it's a disaster. It is incredibly difficult to recycle ( despite what some companies who want to sell it to you, tell you), it's incredibly unfriendly to wildlife and most worryingly, it leeches microplastics into the soil and water system, which is damage that cannot be mitigated.

The current trend of blurring the lines between our homes and gardens means that we sometimes forget that gardens should be living, breathing places, rather than spaces for our convenience.

Moss is an excellent idea.

I've got a 12ft2 piece of fake grass in a north facing garden and it is great. I bough something that has a ten year lifespan and is made from recycled materials. Can't remember what it is called but it was £500 fitted.

My garden is a largely a space for my convenience at the end of a busy working day.

My parents have just bought a place with an area of plastic grass. It is a little lumpy underfoot but mainly flat. I had just been saying to them how it could really do with covering with some shingle if they didn't want to pave it, when I slipped on one of the little lumps. OP - I am now sitting here in a cast having broken my wrist. So if you do insist on getting it, for the love of God make sure the ground is as flat as a pancake before laying.

@TonkaTruckduck

I've got a bit of plastic grass, I love it. Ots softer underfoot than concrete and doesn't hold water or mud, so the dc can play on it most days of the year. I know its like saying you smoke crack cochineal on here to have plastic grass, but I LOVE mine.

Same here love mine too

I can not believe ppl are actually pulling up grass and covering places with bloody plastic-there are plenty of natural options but covering with plastic is absolutely completely grim and horrible