Mowing The Grass - A Dangerous Pursuit?

Even though it's still winter here in the UK with heavy snow in most areas, it won't be long before people start thinking of getting out the old lawn mower ready for that first cut of the Spring. Before you so, however, this might be a good time to reflect on whether you should have an artificial grass lawn installed.

”Why?” you might ask. Well, apart from the most obvious benefits of artificial grass such as saving on water, helping to reduce air and river pollution and avoiding grass allergies, mowing natural grass can lead to accidents and injuries.

According to a BBC report carried out over a period of 5 years in the USA, well over 60,000 Americans were admitted to hospital A&E because of lawn mower accidents. The most common injuries were cuts and bruises but there were cases of bone fractures, limb amputations and even a number of deaths. Admittedly, it was the ride-on type of lawn mower that was involved in the majority of these accidents and in the UK, of course, only a fraction of households can afford that type of mower. However, you should not rest on your laurels if you use a push-type mower because according to reports, over 6,000 people are injured every single year in the UK by lawn mowers of all types - a staggering statistic. Most of these injuries appear to be because the users either did not follow the mower manufacturer's instructions correctly or they misused the mower in some way.

So what's the solution? Well, you can start reading up on how to avoid lawn mower injuries OR you can decide to install artificial grass. Long term you are likely to reap far greater benefits than just avoiding lawn mower accidents – you’ll be helping the environment, saving on needless lawn watering and of course spending more time in your garden at leisure because you don't have to spend countless hours mowing the grass and emptying the grass clippings!

Prize-Winning Artificial Lawn

Mrs Brooker lives in Brentwood in Essex. She has a small garden but takes great pride in its appearance. However, she now has a knee problem and was finding it difficult to mow the lawn in her sloping garden. With her husband being blind she knew she had no choice but to abandon the idea of keeping a natural grass lawn. Initially, she thought her only choice was going to be a conversion to hard-standing but a visit to the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show changed all of that. There she saw an artificial lawn on display and was so impressed by its natural luscious look that it became the obvious solution.

After the artificial grass was installed, she proudly put a lot of time and energy into the planting of her borders and hanging baskets and subsequently entered and also won the Brentwood in Bloom competition. A wonderful accolade for artificial grass in our gardens!

Sadly, Mrs Brooker came under criticism from other competitors who accused her of cheating with 'plastic grass'. Well, the Brentwood in Bloom organisers were asked to comment and simply replied saying that Mrs Brooker had not broken any rules. Perhaps 'sour grapes' from poor losers we ask?

You can read the full story here courtesy of the Daily Mail. When you read the article, take a look at the number and the tone of comments posted by readers in reaction to it. There are a small number of negative comments such as:

”It's neat, and the little flowers are quite colourful I suppose, but, "plastic lawn" part, how on earth did it win a GARDENING prize? I'm gobsmacked!”

However, there are far more positive comments that outweigh these which have also scored higher ratings from readers, such as:

"I have got an artificial lawn in my garden and it looks fab you would never know that it was artificial! People have often stopped and commented on how wonderful it looks and it must take me a lot of up keep. I think Mrs Brooker's garden looks fab and she should have won!"

"I have got artificial lawn in my front garden. Its fantastic and looks great all year round. People stop and ask me how I get my lawn to look so good. My children and their friends love to play out on it, and the dog thinks its great too."

However, the best and possibly most appropriate comment posted was this:

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess."

Summer Sneezing? Your Ally - Artificial Grass

The sunshine of summer is here again and whilst it's a time most people look forward to, it isn't the case for everyone, especially 'Hay Fever' sufferers.

Last summer we wrote about grass allergies which can cause sore eyes, a running nose, headaches and a poor quality of sleep for many people. The 4 months of May, June, July and August tend to see an abundance of grass pollens such as meadow grass and rye and right now we are in the middle of that key period. On top of that the Met Office has predicted warm and sunny weather for the end of June, possibly into July, so if you are a grass allergy sufferer, you might just end up with tears in your eyes if you go anywhere near grassed areas, whether newly mown or not!

According to statistics from the BBC, there are about 9 million people in Britain who currently struggle to cope with the effects of 'Hay Fever'. There is some excellent advice on the BBC's current Hay Fever page for anyone interested in ways to alleviate their suffering.

Interestingly from our point of view as artificial grass manufacturers, they suggest that you plan your garden carefully. They also suggest asking someone else to cut your garden grass for you and that you should consider using the water sprinkler to dampen down the pollen before you sit in the garden. Another interesting tip is to dampen down the fur of any pets who have been playing on the grass by using a damp towel as they may well have picked up pollen in their coats.

Sound advice and most welcome BUT if you had an artificial lawn in your garden you would not have to worry about any of these actions. What's more, your pets could benefit as well because:

a) they would not run the risk of a pollen allergy - apparently animals can experience grass allergies just as humans do, though they tend to get itchy ears rather than suffer respiratory problems. Read more about hay fever in animals.

b) they would be able to enjoy much more time in the garden - after heavy rain they wouldn't be at risk of getting all muddy and dirty;

c) pet dogs who love to dig (and there are plenty of them around!) would no longer be able to ruin your lawn so they too might enjoy much more freedom.

You can read more about artificial grass and pets on our website.

Artificial grass has the kind of benefits that go beyond most people's thinking and we hope that by sharing this kind of information with the general public it will help engender greater confidence and trust in what is an incredibly versatile product, ideal for today's lifestyle.

Looking Forward To The Promise Of Summer

According to Ewen McCallum, Chief Meteorologist at the UK's Met Office, a warmer than average summer awaits us here in Britain and rainfall is likely to be near or possibly even below average. In his statement at the end of April Mr. McCallum went on to say:

" We can expect times when temperatures will be above 30 °C, something we hardly saw at all last year."

So it seems that a wet summer as we had to endure last year and the year before here in Britain is not on the cards. Sounds great! If they are right, however, does that really bode well for British gardens?

On the face of it you would think so ... heavy rain can make a mud bath of children's play areas and lawns and seriously restrict the amount of time people are able to spend in their gardens. Fewer barbecues, fewer outdoor parties and celebrations, the list goes on. So a warmer, drier than average summer would appear to be great all round. However, look more deeply and you will find a counter-balance of negatives. If rainfall is lower than average and we get temperatures above 30 °C as the Met Office predicts, then we could face water shortages.

In the past, summer water shortages in Britain have led to hosepipe bans and that is when our gardens and lawns can seriously suffer. A luscious lawn or soft, grassy children's play area becomes hardened, dried out and yellowed - far from ideal when the sun is shining and you and your family want to be outdoors enjoying the garden. The solution? Artificial grass.

With an artificial lawn or artificial play grass area, the colour and texture are consistent come rain or shine so hosepipe bans are immaterial. Moreover, if the Met Office experts get it wrong and it pours with rain this summer, you will be even happier you installed artificial grass because once the sun is out again and everyone else is facing a mud bath when using their lawn, you won't!

So if you have not yet ordered your artificial grass for this summer, think again. It might just be worth working out how much more time you and your family will be able to enjoy the garden, come rain or sunshine!

Useful links for further reading:

The Met Office Summer Forecast for 2009

More about the advantages of artificial grass

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!

Astro turf, Astroturfing - What Does It All Mean?

We all know how words can have different meanings and that many words come into existence because of an invention or a product brand name - eg. hoover entered the English vocabulary as being another term for vacuum cleaner. Every industry, indeed every hobby, has its own vocabulary and glossary of terms - for example, if you're a fan of 9 ball pool, you'll understand the terms bank shot, balkline and carom.

As mentioned in a previous article, we have our own Artificial Grass Glossary so that people can better understand some of our terminology. That's where you'll see an explanation of "astro turf".

Written this way ... AstroTurf ... it refers to a registered trademark for a plastic grass product developed in the sixties and made famous by its installation at the Texas Astrodome.

Written this way ... astro turf ... it is now generally used and accepted as referring to any generic type of artificial grass product, irrespective of brand, etc. (The analogy here is with hoover and vacuum cleaner)

For more information go to the AstroTurf page on Wikipedia.

Having said that, there's also the term 'astroturfing' which has a completely different meaning. It's used (mainly in the USA) when referring to an advertising or PR campaign (personal, commercial or political) where the people behind the campaign want to disguise their efforts as being independent public reaction to something or someone. Essentially, faking popular 'grassroots' opinion. To convey the 'fake' and 'grass' elements from the idea, former US Senator Lloyd Bentsen found 'astroturfing' the ideal word when he first coined the phrase.

So if it's some artificial grass for your back garden that you're after, you'd be well advised NOT to talk about astroturfing or someone might think you're on a propaganda trail!

Is Artificial Grass As Good As Grass?

Every day our artificial grass sales team deals with enquiries and orders for our artificial grass products. One of the most common questions we are asked is whether artificial grass is as good as grass. So we thought we would dedicate this blog article to the subject and demonstrate how it's not only as good as grass but, in many ways, is much better.

Artificial grass offers a whole range of advantages - here are just a few:

• Saving time that would otherwise be spent on mowing the lawn


• Saving money:
  a) by not having to use pesticides and lawn improvement products
  b) if you're on a water meter, you won't have to water the lawn in hot weather


• Helping the environment:
  a) by using less water in the garden - it has been estimated that in the summer, around 3/4 of the UK's residential water is used on people's lawns
  b) pesticides can be damaging to the environment so best to avoid them
  c) grass cuttings contribute to air pollution - according to Australian scientists, the moment you cut your grass, an antibiotic type gas is released contributing to the hydrocarbons in the surrounding air.
  Read more about "Grass Gas"
  We also have our own page Environmental Benefits Of Artificial Grass
  
• A strong, "all year round green" is offered by artificial grass because, unlike real grass, it does not go yellow and discolour in hot weather, nor does it go brown and muddy after a lot of rain


• Artificial grass is easier to keep clean and maintain where pets are concerned - real grass areas can suffer serious degradation by pets
  

Whatever the application you're considering for your artificial grass - at home for a play area, an artificial lawn, a pathway or as grass carpet around a swimming pool or perhaps in the commercial sector as display grass for an exhibition area - the advantages are considerable. If you don't believe us, read some of our customer testimonials - see our page: "Is Artificial Grass As Good As Grass"

Pesticides - To Use Or Not To Use

A number of recent news articles have touched on the subject of pesticides and the arguments for and against their use in domestic gardens. Everyone wants an attractive garden of course and especially a nice looking lawn but at what price? Moreover, we’re not just talking about the cost of buying pesticide products but the question of potential hazards to human health and the environment.

Two major websites that cover the issue of safety with chemicals and pesticides are:

The Pesticides Safety Directorate official website – a UK Government backed website with lots of guidelines on the subject.

http://www.chem-tox.com/ - a US site with lots of detailed information. “Poison In The Grass” is the heading of one of their alarming reports which covers the hazards and consequences of lawn pesticides (http://www.chem-tox.com/pesticides/pesticidereport.htm).

Whether you believe the reports or not, you must ask yourself:

Do you have time to study all this information, then go into the local garden centre to delve through all the options of what’s available only to then have to commit to trying something out, not knowing the outcome?

Sounds like an awful waste of time and energy particularly when the real lifestyle choice of artificial grass offers a simple and effective solution.

Installing An Artificial Grass Lawn

Imagine looking out onto a luscious lawn that's soft and clean underfoot, green all year round and never goes yellow, hard or muddy. Moreover, imagine having that AND not having to get the lawn mower out ever again! This is the scenario with an artificial grass lawn.

Not only that, but by having an artificial lawn you will avoid using pesticides in the garden - something that has to be done very carefully to avoid potential environmental and human health hazards. The Pesticides Safety Directorate official website offers detailed guidelines on the subject.

We receive many enquiries from people considering the idea of an artificial lawn; indeed many of them are nervous as to whether their garden might even be suitable. In truth there are very few instances where it's not possible to have an artificial lawn installed.

If it's a small area with no odd shape to it, it's possible for you to install the artificial grass yourself. Just be sure to buy quality artificial grass such as our Lifestyle® Lawn grass and the correct type of tape and adhesive. Visit our artificial grass online store to see what we recommend. We also offer an Artificial Grass Installation Photo Guide that you can download plus a set of written Artificial Grass Installation Guides to choose from.

Conversely, if the area you want to convert to an artificial lawn is quite large and/or has an unusual shape or incline etc, then you should consider having a professional installation company do the work. As the UK's leading manufacturer of artificial grass have our own network of installers, stockists and distributors. You can search for a local installer on artificial-grass.com or alternatively feel free to call our Customer Service Department for advice - UK Freephone 0800 6521281. If you want to see a professional team at work, we even have a Slide Show of the step by step process undertaken in a recent artificial lawn installation done by one of our installers.

New Year Resolution For A Better Lifestyle: Artificial Grass

The start of a new year heralds promise of better things to come and many people have resolved to improve their lifestyle in 2008. According to a Sky Real Lives survey published on 31 December 2007, most people in the UK want to improve their lifestyle, spend more time relaxing than working (as in the photo which features an artificial grass lawn) and work towards becoming 'greener'.

As the UK's leading manufacturer of artificial grass we wholeheartedly endsorse the idea; people need to spend more time with their friends and families and less time working, including working in the garden. Having a pristine lawn requires a lot of effort; not only that, but it places a big and unnecessary demand on water usage throughout the summer months (often the time when water usage is at its most critical) and requires regular application of pesticides and weedkillers. None of this is good for the environment.

So for anyone wishing to become 'greener' this is an area to focus on and it's where our artificial grass comes in. Having an artificial lawn means no more pesticides and weedkillers, no more need to run the water hose/sprinkler for endless hours in the summer and no need to get the lawnmower out every week. These are just some of the benefits to be enjoyed with artificial grass. To read more please visit our Artificial Grass Benefits page on our website.

With surveys such as the one from Sky Real Lives being published, we expect to see a significant increase this year in the demand for our artificial grass products, especially for children's play areas, an important item for many British families. (Look out for more on that shortly in our Artificial Grass Blog).