Boarding Kennels Grass

Britain is known to be a nation of pet lovers and millions of households have a pet dog. Going on holiday and taking one's dog along may be getting easier with dog friendly hotels on the increase, but travelling overseas is another matter. This is when many families who don't have friends and relatives that they can leave their dog with to be looked after whilst they're away, have to turn to boarding kennels. Thankfully, there are many boarding kennels in Britain and the facilities they offer are of a high standard.

One of the most important areas in boarding kennels is the dog exercise area where your dog can be allowed to run and play, enjoying fresh air and crucial exercise. However, British weather being what it is with its regular rainfall, dog runs can be rendered slippy and nothing short of a mud bath. Inevitably, therefore, there are many days in the calendar when boarding kennels simply cannot let the dogs get their exercise.

This is where artificial grass really comes into its own and can offer kennel owners a real solution and the dog owners peace of mind. Our installation team recently installed an artificial grass play area for dogs at boarding kennels in Horsham. The owners were tired of the mud problems they had to endure and as part of their desire to improve the quality of facilities for dogs boarded there, they approached Artificial Grass Ltd to see if we could help. It's been a real success story and you can read more about it on our boarding kennel grass installation page.

Beijing Olympics & Artificial Grass

The Olympics is one of the most eagerly awaited events in the calendar of world sports. Taking place just once every 4 years, it attracts the greatest athletes from around the world to come together in competition and prove who is the best of their generation, both in individual sports and team sports.

One team sport that has a long standing Olympic tradition is team hockey and prior to the Greece Olympics in 2004, was played on natural grass. However, in 2004 the competition was played on an artificial pitch. Such was the success that in the 2008 Beijing Olympics (official opening today), the teams will again be playing on artificial grass at the Olympic Green Hockey Stadium in northeast Beijing. The stadium has a floor area of 15,539 m2 and will house no less than 17,000 temporary seats to accommodate the thousands of hockey fans who have travelled to see the event.

As manufacturers of artificial grass we believe that with the latest, and indeed advancing, artificial pitch technologies, it's only a matter of time before more high profile sporting events embrace the advantages that an artificial pitch offers. That may well include the London Olympic Games in 2012 and, before that, the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa. As we reported in a blog post earlier this year, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has openly stated his approval of using artificial grass pitches in the South Africa tournament. Follow the link to read our archived article.

Holiday Complex Lawns & Fake Grass

Amongst the many enquiries we receive for our grass products we have noticed an increasing number of people interested in having a fake lawn after they return from a holiday in the sun. Initially that may seem a little strange but it's because more and more holiday complexes and apartment complexes are installing fake grass in their communal areas.

This is particularly so in hot climates such as Spain and Portugal where natural grass can suffer long term punishment under the hot sun, drying out and turning hard and yellow - not exactly what you want to look out onto or experience underfoot whilst on holiday.

Recommended reading: "Where the rain in Spain is not enough" article on the UNESCO site.

Many apartment complexes have a communal swimming pool where the surrounding grass area gets a lot of wear and tear. Natural grass simply doesn't work well in this context - and that's irrespective of the climate. The answer is to use fake grass - it's soft under foot, permeable and will look green all year round.

The other main consideration for holiday apartment complexes is the shortage of water in the summer months. Therefore to maintain natural grassed communal areas they would need to water them regularly, possibly daily and that of course is a waste of a precious and expensive commodity. Again, this is where fake grass comes in as the most viable option.

Photo: An apartment complex in Mallorca where our fake grass was installed.

A Summer Soaking & Muddy Feet

The advantages of artificial grass are manifold but one particular benefit that we in Britain should not ignore is in wet weather conditions.

As many people now realise, wet weather is not restricted to autumn and winter storms or the odd spring shower but, in line with global warming predictions, our typical British summer seems to be getting ever wetter. Cumbria where our factory is based is a great example of how you should always carry a raincoat or umbrella in the boot of your car!.

Many public places in the UK endure 'high footfall'; these include city park paths, playing fields, annual public events such as the Hampton Court Flower Show and everyday visitor attractions such as Diggerland. When wet weather prevails, visitors to such places may have to endure muddy areas, resulting in muddy shoes trailed back home or into the car. Unless you go prepared wearing hiking boots or wellingtons (not exactly the in-thing at Hampton Court!), you may even find your shoes get ruined. With artificial grass being permeable and virtually maintenance free, it is an ideal choice for these 'high footfall' areas.

A recent article in the Guardian's "What Is The European Monsoon?" highlights the problems caused by British summer deluges, referring to the thousands of Wimbledon and Hampton Court Flower Show visitors who were sent scurrying for cover this year. Makes interesting reading.

Grapevines Not Grass In British Gardens?

Most people are familiar with the prediction of longer, hotter summers as an inevitable result of climate change and global warming and, indeed, some people might welcome the prospect with visions of enjoying the outdoors more, but such a change in our weather could have serious consequences for the beloved British garden.

Everything from hedges to plants, trees and the traditional British lawn will face a battle for survival if water becomes scarcer, summers become drier and winters become wetter.

A wealth of information has already been published on the subject and there's plenty of advice for gardeners who want to keep a colourful and flourishing garden throughout these changing times. For example, if you grow delphiniums and lupins, you will already know that they need moisture retentive soil and do not enjoy drier weather. Therefore you might want to consider planting flowers that are more drought tolerant. Growing fruit should become easier too in warmer weather and it might not be long before we see garden centres stocking more exotic fruit trees, even grapevines and palm trees.

Serious about growing grapevines in Britain? Find out how to grow them courtesy of this BBC Gardening page.

But what about grassed lawns? Many people are already concerned about having to use pesticides to keep their lawns looking green but warmer, drier summers and wetter winters will make lawn maintenance even more difficult. An artificial lawn may well be the answer - you'll save on water and pesticides and yellowed grass in summer will be a thing of the past. Wetter winters too will be much more bearable knowing that mud from the lawn won't find its way into the house. Take a look at this recent installation of an artificial lawn for a customer in Cheshire (as shown in the photograph).

Amongst the sources of information on global warming and gardening are:
The Royal Horticultural Society's report - Gardening in the Global Greenhouse

The Met Office's dedicated section on Climate Change

Grass Allergies

Many people suffer from what is commonly referred to as "Hay fever", essentially an illness caused by an allergic reaction to pollen being breathed in or getting into the eyes. Tracking down the type of pollen that a person is allergic to can be difficult but if you can identify the time of year and the circumstances in which your hay fever is triggered, then you have a good chance of discovering what you have to avoid.

For example:

• Early Spring is the time for tree pollens (eg. oak, ash, silver birch)


• May to August is the time for grass pollens (eg. meadow grass, cocksfoot, rye)


• Late summer into early autumn is the time for weed pollen (eg. dock, nettle, mugwort)

Based on the above guidelines (courtesy of the BBC's Summer Hay Fever page), if someone starts with hay fever in May, June, July or August and spends a lot of time in the garden or near open grassed areas then there's every chance that they have some type of grass allergy. As the BBC page suggests, their best means of reducing symptoms (other than medication) is to avoid grassed areas, get someone else to mow the lawn and never lie down on freshly cut grass.

However, they omitted one other option - have an artificial lawn installed - they'll never have to cut the grass again! In Britain we always like to think it will be a good summer with balmy evenings where you can sit outside, enjoy the fresh air, a beautiful sunset and perhaps drinks with friends and family or even a bbq. With artificial grass in your garden, anyone with a grass allergy should be more than happy to come to the party!

Artificial Grass Roof Garden

Grass gives a lot of pleasure to people, particularly in the summer months but what if you don't have a garden? Well, if you have access to some sort of roof space the answer is to create your own green, artificial grass terrace. You might be in a top floor apartment with direct access to the roof of the building or the roof space of an attached garage or an annexe might be available to you.

Roof gardens are becoming increasingly popular and our blog article on artificial grass roof gardens last summer was testimony to this, generating a lot of interest from artificial grass customers. In fact, our in-house installation team have just installed Lifestyle® City artificial grass on the roof terrace of 4 apartments within a brand new development in the UK. The interesting part about this commission is that it was the architect involved in the design of the apartment complex who suggested to the property developers that they use artificial grass. After all, you can't use real grass easily on a roof garden - how would you cut it and where would you put the grass clippings?

Artificial grass offers roof garden owners the chance to have their own 'green' space with minimal maintenance. As the photgraph from the installation shows, artificial grass can make a roof garden an attractive, practical and pleasant area to enjoy.

View photographs from this artificial grass roof garden installation.