Artificial grass - a plea

Would the birds not find insects crawling around in the astroturf?

That was eloquently put! I tend to agree with you but I can see the point of Astroturf in certain circumstances. I'm thinking perhaps of people who may not be able to tend a lawned area, maybe through a physical disability.
We have a third of an acre of garden. Neither of us is in any way green fingered but over the past 45 years it's sort of evolved into a nature reserve!
This was helped by the fact that we are lazy gardeners so when my daughter suggested we let an area go wild, "for the butterflies," We were happy to oblige!
Our lawn is full of daisies and clover and once, when we were visited by a swarm of bees, the beekeeper who collected them told us we had a"bloody wonderful garden for bees."
We have visits from foxes, badgers, muntjac deer and many birds. Quite surprising considering we live a 5 minute walk from the centre of a market town!

No problem as far as our garden is concerned. Loads of grass, bushes, trees and 'uncultivated' areas ie messy. We also have a pond.

I appreciate whatsarahcyn is saying. However so many new builds have the tiniest of gardens that's it's not worth buying a lawnmower for and astroturf is an easy option - or the proverbial decking which I loathe. Perhaps the best answer is to encourage more bird feeders in these circumstances?

My next door neighbour puts down bird food in her paved front garden every morning, where it is immediately consumed by a large flock of seagulls, leaving behind appalling bird mess. Not sure why she does this; she has a bird table and a feeder in her gravelled back garden but complains when the birds drop the seed, as it sprouts!

Artificial grass can also become very hot, so anybody with dogs or cats, be aware!

Fiorentina51 can I buy your house please!!!

Sarahcyn ?
Thought you might like to see a visitor we had last month. Foxy Bright Eyes, Sunning himself in the back garden. Beside him, with a couple of bricks around it so DH doesn't mow over it, is a self seeded oxlip. I'm hoping we get some more next year!

sara you won’t get any brickbats from me I hate the stuff with avengence and the concreting over of gardens now before I get a barage I totally understand anyone who is old or ill or unable to have the funds to tend a garden but I m talking about able bodied who concrete over everything for ease

You don’t need a lawnmower for a tiny gardens that’s what strimmers and grass shears are for it’s not just about birds it’s worms and insects and bees and butterflies etc etc we NEED greenery to keep the world breathing
I do not have a manicured garden mine is partly planted by the birds themselves and I adore the surprises that pop up I have a huge bright California poppy that I never put in some beautiful bird must have deposited the seed there for me

I don't have grass or artificial turf I have decking, plenty of bugs crawling about under there but the birds won't be able to access them. Not having grass doesn't mean you're depriving the wildlife though, I have a pond full of fish, frogs, toads and newts. My borders are full of plants attracting all sorts of bugs and insects, we have lots of bees, not so many wasps thankfully but far too many mozzies that lately seem to feast on me. So giving up the real lawn isn't the problem as most people don't turf the entire space they just replace where the lawn used to be, if they still have borders there shouldn't be a problem.

Flexiblefriend I m sure the original post wasn’t about people like yourself who have natural gardens plus decking or concrete but about many who just AstroTurf or concrete the whole garden, especially if it’s a small garden and they are quite different scenarios

I absolutely agree Sara!

Well firstly I don't see why the OP thinks she'll be attacked for posting her thread but where ever there was grass in my garden there is now decking and paving so quite a substantial amount but I agree with her on the importance of borders etc i just can't see the point of grass, especially when like mine it spent a good few months underwater and a trip to the shed meant paddling through about 4 inches of water. I doubt the few who turf or concrete edge to edge make that much difference in all honesty. She still has the right to post her thread without fear of being attacked.

Lots of people with small city gardens like mine just have paving or decking so I think astroturf is better than that. I have a lawn but do find cutting it very hard work. If I laid astroturf instead, I would still have my border with plants, pots on the patio and trees in the big gardens behind. None of my neighbours have grass in their front garden (we do have hedges and shrubs) but we have plenty of birds at the front.

I don’t think you’re seeing the bigger picture though, you are only seeing it through your area and your eyes and experience There is a huge amount of concreting over being done and there are many articles about it and the dangers to wildlife If you truely doubt that the few who turf or concrete over will make any differences read up on it
No of course she shouldn’t be stacked but sometimes people are for having a ‘green’ point of view

I think her is a huge amount of concreting over as such of front gardens because of the need to park your off the road. I agree that is frequently done wall to wall and is unsightly as well as bad for the wildlife. I think they're trying to maximise the space for cars which is understandable as If I hadn't had raised beds built either side of my front garden I could probably fit another car on but you make a choice to suit your needs. Anyway many councils have outlawed wall to wall concreting these days as the rain has to be able to drain away hence the multitude of block paved driveways. I'm very well read thanks.

Apart from the impact to wildlife I find fake grass aesthetically displeasing. Much like overwhitened teeth.

I look at Astroturf as another way of eventually introducing more plastics into the soil. I think it's a scary way to go with (probably) unforeseen consequences, far worse than wooden decking.

Due to becoming increasingly arthritic we had astroturf professionally laid. We left the borders with plants specially designed to attract birds/bees/butterflies etc., Best decision we ever made. I hear what you are saying Sarah, but one has to adjust to circumstances.

I just can't imagine walking on a hot astroturf at the moment I am sure it would be uncomfortable for your pets,how is it kept sanitised from bird droppings and other animal mess? yes you can wash it away but I'm sure the smell would stay after a while and it become discoloured in time.

I understand the OP but don’t think many do go down the astroturf route, as more people actually concrete/ brick pave their small front gardens in order to park.
Yes, some councils are getting strict now about doing so, but mainly it’s already a done deed.
If back gardens are natural though, then that’s good for wildlife, and as billybob says, you can still have shrub and flower borders surrounding the astroturf lawns.

sara I agree with you. It is just another problem that nature has to contend with, along with paved over front gardens.

It looks sterile and lifeless, and that is what it is.

It may be only a few people who have it at the moment but it is definitely catching on. Horrible.

We've just had a small estate of new houses completed in our village and all of the houses have astro turfed front gardens and block paved driveways. The back gardens are left for the new home owners to design but already, a couple of them have astro turfed their back gardens too. They look like a row pool tables.

DD1 has the dream of Astroturfing her small back garden as SiL, lovely though he is, is a lazy toad and hates cutting the grass, which she says should be his job. With demanding jobs, two young children and two dogs she thought it would be easier and nicer for them to play on, and easier to clean. Just hose it down. Easier and more likely to happen than getting a mower out! I’d thought that dust and dirt would accumulate around the sides for weeds to grow in, I hadn’t thought of the problem of it getting too hot for children’s bare feet and dogs paws. I’ll pass that on. Thanks.

Their front ‘garden’ is already a wild garden - we helped them plant wild perennials and bulbs so it looks like it’s intentional and not just not-getting-around-to-do-anything-ness. I’m glad we don’t live nearer, we’d end up being full time gardeners.

Gammanana In reply to your post, our five year old astroturf has kept its shape, colour and texture. Certainly does not smell, I keep it clean and tidy and our garden does attract abundant wild life so for us its a win win situation