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aphaea

Artificial grass

Aphaea
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago

In a few months I will be moving to an apartment complex geared to seniors. It is one of a number owned by a real estate/property management company here so they have rules and regulations but they also take superb care of their properties. (I can live with the rules.)

The patios are your standard cement ones, and I plan to create a kind of lush garden on it with potted miniature fruit trees, perhaps a shady tree in a pot, vegetables and herbs in pots, some flowers in pots, and a patio and table set for four. My inspiration comes from some of these images, especially the first one and the one on the side of the house: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/design-ideas-beautiful-small-gardens-and-yards-244811

But I think I also want to add artificial grass down to make it particularly green. Has anyone here used artificial grass? Googling it brings up so many possibilities that it is making it hard to even narrow my choices down. I'd love something that feels as good as it looks.

Comments (25)

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    4 years ago

    I am not a fan of artificial grass, personally. It always seems to look just like what it is.....fake turf. There are some beautiful outdoor carpeting options, however, in a huge variety of colors and patterns. I have an outdoor area that fully embraces an interior design look.....a living room in a jungle sort of.

    Aphaea thanked rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
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  • NYCish
    4 years ago

    I love turf/synlawn etc. I live in a very urban area where it is hard to grow and maintain grass. But we also love grassy spaces because we don’t have many open areas. So I’d take a nice looking synthetic small space lawn over muddy nasty-looking unhealthy grass or gravel any day of the week. I’m not advertising the below company; I’ve never used them. I just know they do small space gardens and use a lot of synthetic grass

    Aphaea thanked NYCish
  • calidesign
    4 years ago

    For a small yard, I would skip the artificial grass completely. Just use your hardscaping with landscape plants, low ground covers, and potted plants.

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    Aphaea thanked calidesign
  • PRO
    Yardvaark
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    You didn't say specifically HOW you would be arranging/using the artificial turf, so it's kind of hard to react to it other than to say it's a great product if installed and used properly. Conceptually, installing it is not a lot different from installing a paver patio.

    Aphaea thanked Yardvaark
  • Douglas Parker
    4 years ago

    Artificial grass is just like it gives decorative to the entire passage or the corridor which is present in front of the home. It is not hard to have it as its less expensive but I like it.

    Aphaea thanked Douglas Parker
  • PRO
    Patricia Colwell Consulting
    4 years ago

    I am pretty sure you would have to secure it somehow and I don’t think that will be allowed So a large outdoor rug is the way to go.

    Aphaea thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    4 years ago

    Artificial turf is wonderful in the right situation And some of it defies being identified as artifical unless you get very up close and personal :-) But most will require a smooth, level and cushioned base - just like one would prepare for a 'real' lawn - and the turf does need to be laid, stretched and secured, similar to one would do with wall to wall carpeting. It will not work properly or as desired if just spread over a concrete or paver patio.

    If that is your intent then you should substitiute a patio indoor/outdoor carpet in place of the turf.

    Aphaea thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
  • Aphaea
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Thank you to everyone! It is going to be a concrete patio (no yard, alas) so the surface is relatively smooth. I was just thinking about using it like wall-to-wall carpeting without tacking it down so the sense is of lots of green. The potted plants and table and chairs should keep it down in case of wind.


    I realized after I posted this that I have a rug in the bathroom I got from Rugs USA (https://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/rugs-usa-printed-persian-overdyed-vintage/Green/200MCGZ01A-P.html). Since the place I am moving to is smaller, it won't fit in the bathroom but it might be perfect for the patio. It's not an outdoor rug but that's okay; I bought it on sale for about $35 so it's worth using.


    Catlatdy, you are right, that none of those images show artificial grass . What I love about those images are the various plants, their types, their heights, their placing that give the space a strong sense of being in a gorgeous world of greenery The only fake thing, if I choose to use it, will be the artificial grass. But I may try the rug I mentioned above first.

  • PRO
    Yardvaark
    4 years ago

    I think you will be disappointed with artificial turf used as a loose rug.

    Aphaea thanked Yardvaark
  • teddytoo
    4 years ago

    On a patio I would pick a rug however we love our artificial turf in our dog run. We live in a winter state so the before is after our first winter. The after is still looks great after a full year and a half.

    Aphaea thanked teddytoo
  • Aphaea
    Original Author
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I like the change, Teddytoo. Did the installers tack it down somehow? I mentioned that if I go this route it will not be tacked down but with quite a few pots of various sizes I think that might work almost as well. I mean I want some mini fruit trees, perhaps a flowering one, pots of all sizes containing vegetables and herbs, and maybe some flowers as well. Lush and overflowing (without being insane) is my goal. I want to look out the windows and see lots of greenery. Since I live in southern-central coastal California, this is do-able.

  • tatts
    4 years ago

    Artificial grass always looks like a compromise.

    I wanted real grass, but those darned dogs, so... I can't get grass to grow in that shade, so... I can't wrangle a lawn mower in that spot, so... It's Phoenix in the summer and there are watering restrictions, so...

    And, since you'll never see this from a distance (you'll always be right on top of it--close up), you'll always be able to see the fakeness.

    Aphaea thanked tatts
  • suzyq53
    4 years ago

    I don't think the artificial turf has to be tacked down. Its very heavy. We used a remnant from our yard as a large door mat for many years with no issues. Plus you will have table and chairs and heavy potted plants to weigh it down further.

    Aphaea thanked suzyq53
  • teddytoo
    4 years ago

    It is actually over crushed granite and a deodorizer layer. It is takes down with pins that are specific to the turf. It has a seam in it that I know where it is but would struggle to show it to you. The installers were amazing. Fortunately, my daughters neighbor had them install turf several years before so I knew I was going to get quality product and work. You can walk on this and it is soft under foot even barefoot. It does get warm in the sun on hot days though.

    Aphaea thanked teddytoo
  • Aphaea
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    Tatts, thank you for reminding me it will be a close-up look. That could be a turn-off. I think that since I have time what I should do is go out to Home Depot (and anywhere else I can think of that carries some of it) and spend time looking at and feeling it.


    I will probably start out using the rug I linked above. I already have it and don't have room in the new place for it so this seems good. I don't know how long it will last given that it is not an outdoor rug but since I already have it and got it at a fantastic price ... well, why not.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    4 years ago

    Note that artificial turf comes in a wide range of qualities. I'd venture to say that what you find at HD or any other home improvement store (rather than an artificial turf dealer/installer) will be no more than medium quality. Not the worst but by far not the best quality you can find.

    Aphaea thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
  • Aphaea
    Original Author
    4 years ago

    GardenGal, I suspected that. Do you have any suggestions for dealers in higher-quality ones? Perhaps I can get some samples sent to me for free or low-cost. It would be good to get a sense for ones that are as nice as artificial can get.

  • suzyq53
    4 years ago

    What size is your patio?

    Aphaea thanked suzyq53
  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    4 years ago

    Dealers will be very regionally oriented :-) I'd suggest you just do some online research as to who may be supplying artificial turf in your area and then visit their showrooms.

    Aphaea thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
  • Aphaea
    Original Author
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Suzyq53, I am not sure but I'd say on the medium size. It can easily fit a 40-inch diameter table and four chairs plus a fair number of plants, especially as I plan to have various heights and some slender plant-holding tables or free-standing shelf units.

  • suzyq53
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I was asking because Costco has some nice fescue artificial turf that is 15' wide and sold by the linear foot online. Also I have seen a roll of some kind of artificial turf at the Costco store.

    Aphaea thanked suzyq53
  • Aphaea
    Original Author
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I went online as GardenGal suggested and found a local dealer who has some (what appears to be) very nice artificial grass: https://ecolawnsb.com/shop/bantam-70-summer-blend/

    It seems as if many or most of the rolls are 15 feet wide. I have bookmarked the page and will visit them to learn more. But I think this looks as good as it is going to get.

  • suzyq53
    4 years ago

    I don't know the brand but we had thick, expensive artificial grass at our prior home. It had some kind of tiny crystals that made it look like it had just been watered.

    Aphaea thanked suzyq53
  • calidesign
    4 years ago

    Do your research before you use artificial grass. It is much hotter than real plants, more expensive, can cause runoff issues, is generally made of petroleum products (grass and/or cushioning), releases chemicals instead of oxygen, cannot be cleaned of contaminants, does not support any type of insects, birds, etc., and will need to be disposed of somehow at some point. There are so many better options.