Ok, I’ll admit it. I’ve just had an artificial face lift. Or at least the lawn has. After six months watching our brand new lawn turn from lush green to boggy brown, our only option was to go artificial. My eco conscience had to be talked down as there was really no other way to provide a safe and practical year round space for three kids plus dog.

Obviously I wanted the new lawn to not only perform well but look as authentic as possible. There are a large number of firms on the market, capitalising on the growing trend for artificial grass and they by and large offer similar products. The standard has improved tremendously over the last few years with exciting developments in fabrication, yarn shape and drainage, resulting in grass which not only looks more realistic but doesn’t flatten over time.

Although the finished product is undoubtedly rather neat compared to a real lawn, I am impressed by the result. Much of the imagery for artificial lawns shows them in very stark contemporary spaces. However, within a classic, more abundant setting they can look for a more natural. As our own garden has not long been planned, it still needs to soften and mature. As the second image from Pinterest shows, this really helps the lawn integrate into the scheme.

The real win is that the kids are already playing out on it, even in the middle of winter. Oh, and the dog is just as happy to carry out his morning back scratching routine as he was in the muddy swamp. Success!