A New Generation For The Older Generation

There is one very special section of our community for whom the new generation of artificial grasses offer real benefit - the elderly. Many people are today living longer and remaining independent well into their 80's and even 90's.


Spending so much time at home brings an increased importance to being able to use and enjoy a garden, yet many elderly people cannot do that.

Here are just a few of the reasons why:

1. Mowing the lawn regularly or even at all can be extremely difficult if not impossible
2. Watering the grass to maintain its condition in hot weather is just too demanding
3. Letting the dog out for exercise in bad weather brings muddy paws indoors

By installing artificial grass all the above problems are eradicated and even if there's no garden, then a small patio, yard or even balcony in an apartment block can be made more attractive and useful with artificial grass laid on it. Many residential care homes for the elderly and infirm are already installing artificial grass in their grounds; apart from lowering maintenance costs it means residents being able to use the grassed areas much more throughout the year and without risk of slipping on muddy areas after bouts of bad weather.

Having all year round green as an everyday part of life holds a very real value for the older generation in our community and the new generation of artificial grass such as the Lifestyle Grass range can offer just that.

Roof Gardens - A Cool Lifestyle In A Hot City

During the height of the summer the streets of London can become unbearably hot and sticky. You long for an ice cream or a cool drink and somewhere shady to sit and catch a breeze. For the lucky residents who have access to a flat roof there is now an important alternative solution. More and more home owners are building roof gardens or green roofs to help them live in style during the hot weather.

Although there are examples from the earlier part of the 20th century, it was not until the 1960’s that the use of roof gardens began to literally grow upwards. As well as having an amenity value, a roof garden offers substantial environmental benefits - for instance:

1. It can lower the temperature above a building, often substantially. Basically a city can raise the atmospheric temperature by reflecting sunlight - a phenomenon sometimes referred to as 'the urban heat island effect'. Having a green roof helps counteract this.
   


2. Insulation - a roof garden can help keep a building cool in summer and warm in winter, so fuel bills are reduced.
   


3. Wildlife - even on high rise apartment blocks a green garden can provide a stopover for tired birds and attract insects with plants.

If you want to enjoy the lifestyle which comes with a proper roof garden there are 2 choices:

The “Heavyweight” Route
This involves layers of waterproof membrane, constructing drainage channels if needed and then laying natural turf over the top. Of course, you could venture into hydroponics to try and minimise the weight and there are special soil mixtures available to help but basically you are looking at a lot of weight , a lot of installation work and possibly even strengthening the roof.

The "Lightweight" Route
Use planter pots, tubs and bedding to carry your plants and lay artificial grass. This way you will have less maintenance and the whole project will be easier to construct. Not only that, but all the worries about how you compost grass cuttings 10 stories up won't even cross your mind!

Many city dwellers are already doing this with the likes of Lord Linley setting a headlining example when he had artificial grass installed on the roof garden of his central London residence.

So next time you are trying to catch a breeze in a hot dusty city, look up .... you'll probably see beautiful roof gardens offering a cool solution to a busy city life.