Rooftop Grass Growing Fast

Enjoying a rooftop garden is nothing new. We have advocated the benefits of rooftop gardens since the early days of the Artificial Grass Blog and our post back in May 2007 ‘Roof Gardens: A Cool Lifestyle In A Hot City’ has been one of the most popular to date.

Looking beyond the UK and indeed beyond Europe to countries much further afield where hot climates prevail, there has recently been a significant increase in rooftop garden construction.

Take South Korea for example. In Seoul, building owners can get up to 70% of the cost of creating a roof garden as a subsidy from the local government which has been promoting ‘green Seoul’ projects since as far back as 2002. Many office workers in the city benefit from this, opting to take a relaxing break or even hold some of their meetings in the more pleasant surroundings that their building’s roof garden offers.

The therapeutic benefits of roof gardens in Seoul are not restricted to office workers though. Hospital patients are also able to enjoy them, a good example of that being Eunpyeong Hospital in Seoul which has built a rooftop garden on the top of their building specifically for use by its patients. According to a spokesperson for the hospital the garden “can help patients stay in an emotionally comfortable condition and have a positive mind … the green environment is especially helpful for those suffering from depression.” Read the full article here

Green Living In A Green House

We are all aware of the need to lead a 'green lifestyle'. Our New Year's Resolutions post touched on the subject at the beginning of this year and 8 months on, the lobby in support of the idea seems to gaining ever more ground. Tabloid press articles and tv news items seem to remind us every day and this is not just in the UK but all around the world.

In a recent Internet news article there was an interesting feature on an Austrian company of architects (GRID) who have taken the idea of 'living green' to a new level with the building of an artificial grass house.

The Amalia House as it's known has a 'skin' made from artificial grass panels covering a frame of wood panels. Described as: "the first artificial grass camouflage building in Austria", the reasons behind the concept are quoted as being "to give tribute to the nature around her and maximise the interchange between inside and outside. Looking at the picture it certainly seems to blend into its surroundings.

Could it be the first of many more?

Time alone will tell but it's just another example of the impact that artificial grass is making around the world. Not so very long ago, architects and constructions companies would never have considered such an idea. However, to quote Bob Dylan, "the times they are a changin' " ....

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.

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).