Best artificial grass?

[pinkdressinggown]

Cross post in gardening, as it's technically not real gardening!

Hi all,

Just that really - we're not great gardeners, and don't get a lot of sun on our garden (currently shale) so we're thinking of replacing it with artificial grass.

Can anyone provide any recommendations for the most realistic please? It's quite difficult to see online, and even with samples, there's hundreds of types and seeing only a small piece doesn't often help.

Thanks in advance!

Blatant placemarking as I have a tenant who wants this in her shady patch of garden too!

I gave her a small roll from The Range about a year ago to see if it fades etc. It hasn't so far. But need bigger than they supply .

I know a couple of people who have it and really regret it - it's a nightmare to maintain/keep clean, everything sticks in it - muck, leaves, twigs, bird poo etc. If it's not a big area it'd be easier to get slabs laid or decking imo

Quality of the product is a key thing here as well as proper preparation of the surface - weed suppressor and a base of sharp sand before laying it.

We have it in our garden and we love it (also have a dog and a cat). Very realistic and even feels like grass.

I'd recommend this company - www.artificialgrass.org.uk/shop/verde-sports-verde-sports-ltd/

Experts in the field (no I don't work for them) and really helpful to ensure you get the right lawn for your circumstances.

We've got artificial grass (I forget where from) and it's not a problem to keep clean, as we don't. What's wrong with bird poo and sticks on the grass?

It's obviously not as nice as real grass but our house had gravel when we bought it. We couldn't have used our back garden for months if we'd had turf laid.

We got ours from a local carpet place bought the mid range stuff we liked the look of. A couple of local flaggers dug the base wackered some dusty gravel stuff ( What the grass people recommended) for a base and good drainage, built the frame from Tanalised timber and the carpet fitter laid it.
We hoover it a few times a year a stiff brush still looks like new, any bird poo just hoses off as we installed good drainage, the base is just as important as the grass a good base will we very well drained and compacted so weeds can't grow through you can also add a membrane, you will get the odd seeds falling in the grass and growing but they are easily removed or hoovered up.
We would never go back to normal grass

Essential to see actual samples IMO, and NB, having the site properly prepared and the ‘lawn’ laid, is expensive. The cost of the stuff is just the start of it, but it needs to be done properly. Also a pretty major job if you DIY.

We had some laid last year for a very small garden at a rental property where the former tiddly little lawn was past saving. We didn’t want a hard, unforgiving surface like stone or rat-habitat decking. Tenants were very pleased with it. Leaves etc. can easily be brushed off and anything like bird poo can be hosed off - the ‘grass’ is of course porous.

Personally I think it’s a very reasonable choice for gardens with too much shade for grass to do well, esp. if there are children who need a soft surface to play on.

Plastic grass is really bad from the environment, and always looks like plastic grass when anywhere near it.

You get grass seed for shaded areas which grows fantastically. You can get it off amazon. I’d really recommend that before laying down plastic instead.

Not being goady, but could you explain how it is bad for the environment? It is used for years, so not a single use plastic. If water is scarce then it it's better than a grass lawn and using hose pipes?
For wildlife, the borders, climbers and plant pots can be bee and insect friendly, which I agree is terribly important.
I assume it is the end of life disposal which is the problem?

Not being goady, but could you explain how it is bad for the environment

God there are so many well publicised articles on this from the negative impact on wildlife on, just google it.

@Bluntness - God just Google it.

I have googled it. I've been considering getting it for a 3x4m patch of terrace to cover old concrete slabs for a year. It is not at all clear what the environmental negatives versus positives are. Some products are described as recycled and recyclable. Most say they don't have micro plastic particles running off into drains. The only definite negative I can find is that it doesn't provide a habit for insects. But then neither do my concrete slabs.

God just Google it.

I don't want to buy anything that has micro particles running off with rainwater. That's why I haven't purchased it. Thanks again for your insightful comment on the environmental effects.

Dh has horrific hayfever, think a machine with probes up the nose, nasal sprays, eye drops, meds etc, so we had artificial grass fitted 5 years ago in our back garden. We also have children who played a lot of football so basically it was a massive mud patch by the goal area.

Best thing we ever did. Dh can now actually sit out in the garden, no mowing so no grass pollen from our own garden. It brushes up beautifully, anything can be hosed off it (we have had fox poo) and you just apply a topical weed killer to it about 3 times a year to stop anything growing on the top. It dries incredibly quickly compared to grass and isn't dirty, no grass stains and no muddy children.

I do have 2 front gardens and side garden to even out the environmental impact but for us having Dh outside with the children made all the difference.

The only negative is it gets hot in summer, but living up North that really isn't a massive issue the main thing I would advise is get a sample to put outside so you can see what it looks like in your garden. But when you can visit a showroom walk on it barefoot as they do feel different, and be aware that the longer the length the more flattened it will look like a deep pile carpet would. The one we went to had all their grass outside, not inside the showroom.

I am not trying to fool anyone with my artificial lawn, it isn't real grass.

We love ours. The key is getting good quality one. Ours cost. £25 square metre.
Most companies give free samples..
Easy to maintain

I'm sorry but it looks horrendous, very tacky

@DianaT1969 part of the problem is although it's described as recyclable, facilities don't exist to actually recycle it. Plus it's not beneficial for insects, loss of habitat etc.

I understand people will continue to get it, but it does make me sad. Again, if the op is set on this and understands the environmental concerns then at least buying a relatively good quality product will minimise the need for it being replaced.

Thanks everyone for your comments, much appreciated. Real grass isn't an option for us unfortunately because of the lack of sun (we have had 3 gardeners round to see if they have a solution and they've all said it won't grow where we are).

Will be looking into the high quality artificial grass so less need to replace and will hopefully be able to be recycled when/if we do.

Thanks again