Guest post – The Truth About the Artificial Grass Trend

Last week I was busy out in our garden taking care of the lawn (a.k.a. the meadow) and makes this guest blog post very timely.  Our meadow is a shining example of biodiversity and yet the guest post below explains why this is under threat in many gardens.

When it comes to the latest garden trends, one has risen phenomenally over the past couple of years; artificial grass. This plastic alternative to a real lawn is being favoured by homeowners across the country, but why is it so popular? And what’s the real cost? Let’s explore this current garden trend in more detail.

The popularity of artificial grass can be attributed to the idea that it’s easy to maintain and provides homeowners with a green lawn all year round. While UK lawns can suffer under harsh elements and regular use, this hardy plastic alternative has been created to retain its look and feel, whatever the weather and level of use. 

With no mowing required and no risk of bald patches emerging, it’s often thought of as a low maintenance alternative to real grass. Couple this with the pandemic resulting in us valuing our garden space more than ever before and it’s easy to see what has propelled the popularity of fake grass. 

This rising trend has got environmentalists worried however, and with good reason. Despite the aesthetic benefits, there are some big concerns when it comes to replacing our domestic lawns. 

When a lawn is removed, so too is the natural habitat of a wealth of wildlife species. This wildlife is crucial to biodiversity and it cannot survive in a plastic alternative. At a time when insects (particularly our vital pollinators) need all the help they can get, removing natural grass contributes to their decline. 

Alongside the wildlife worries, there is also an additional environmental consideration; the huge volumes of plastic used to create artificial grass. Although resilient, fake lawns don’t last forever and will need to be replaced every few years. Years of contaminates can build up on plastic lawns over the years it’s in use (especially if you have a cat or dog). This alongside the fact manufacturing processes often fuse unnatural materials to create it results in the product being hard to recycle. The results is that old artificial turf often ends up in landfill.

If you’ve been thinking about swapping your real lawn for a faux alternative, we’d urge you to consider if it really is the right decision and to continue your research on the true impact it can have. There are lots of tips available to help your lawn thrive through the seasons and provide a wonderful habitat for our wildlife. Gardener’s World has a great round-up post on lawn care advice from the experts. 

Want to keep learning? Warrior Eco Power Equipment have started a blog series on this topic, so if you’d like to know more on about the issues associated with artificial grass, head over to their news area. 

Thanks again to Warrier Eco Power for the guest blog post.

Our meadow here at the Quirky Museum?  I can tell you, the grass-weed ratio won’t win any prizes as a best kept lawn and yet it is teeming with life.  In particular there’s quite a lot of clover and this attracts so many bees and other flying friends throughout the summer.