Recent advancements in artificial turf technology have made it an excellent, low-maintenance alternative for a wide variety of landscaping projects. In fact, some homeowners have replaced their entire lawns with artificial turf for a year-round, always green lawn. Others have chosen artificial turf for smaller landscape projects, lending a contemporary look to a new landscape design feature.
The turf pros at Envision have spent years tending to some of the best lawns in Kansas City. From installing sod, over-seeding, spraying, mowing, and watering to provide healthy, green, and thick lawns for residential customers to maintaining acres of grass for commercial customers, Envision has done it all. But, in the last few years, there has been an alternative to natural grass that has hit the seen – artificial turf. But this is not the shoddy, lasts-about-a-year material of years gone by. The artificial turf products of today are highly durable, colorfast, and almost indistinguishable from natural grass – and most of the new breeds of artificial turf products are guaranteed to last upward of 20 years! Built to withstand the toughest weather conditions and the most rambunctious of pets, there are also a wide variety of styles and types of artificial turf products available – enough to match just about any color, height, or texture desired for your lawn!
Below for various ways artificial turf can be utilized to not only reduce lawn maintenance but also to elevate the look and feel of almost any landscape project!
Modern “Green” Driveway
Did you know that it’s possible to replace your old asphalt driveway with a “turf-ribbon” driveway, or as some call them, a Hollywood driveway?! Contemporary ribbon driveways have two parallel concrete or paver slabs just wide enough for the tires of your vehicle and the spaces in between are filled with artificial turf. Maintaining natural grass in a turf-ribbon driveway takes a bit of work (like mowing around pavers), but artificial turf can be used as an easier-to-manage alternative!
Blu Grande Smooth Patio Slab from Techo-Bloc
Paver/Turf Combos
Large slab pavers with natural grass peeking through the cracks between have become hugely popular for patio installations over the past few years, and for good reason! They are a visually interesting way to lend a unique and laid-back – yet still luxurious – feel to any outdoor living area. But keeping natural grass alive between the pavers is no easy feat. But, by using artificial turf instead, the same visual effect is achieved without the ongoing chore of trimming, reseeding, and generally maintaining the spaces between the pavers.
Cover Those Bare Spots
Artificial turf is great for alleviating problem areas in a yard that seem impossible to maintain! For example, perhaps a side yard on the north gets little sunlight and has had poor drainage – leading to wispy thin, patchy grass that turns to swampy mud after every downpour. The solution: Use artificial turf to transform that side yard into an inviting outdoor space that is easy to maintain (and doesn’t require the ongoing cycle of reseeding and hoping for the best year after year!).
Reduce Pool Maintenance
Surrounding your swimming pool with lush green grass can provide a beautiful natural vibe, but grass and pools are often not particularly compatible. Grass does not fare well with the heavy foot traffic of pool areas and, combined with the ongoing splashes of chlorine-treated water, the luxurious pool is surrounded by a mucky mess. And that patchy, muddy mess is the last thing any owner wants to see a guest step in before jumping in the pool for a rinse. Artificial turf minimizes debris getting tracked into the pool – which in turn means less time spent cleaning pool water and deck areas and more time relaxing poolside.
Personal Putting & Chipping Greens
Why not use artificial turf to create your own short game practice area in the backyard?! Whether you like to hit the links every day of the week or enjoy a round or two of golf a couple of times a month, there’s no denying that putting and chipping skills greatly improve with practice – and practice is much easier when the putting green and chipping area are just a few feet out the back door. And, an artificial turf green can be just as challenging as the real thing, with any slope and hole placements you desire. You can also use turf to create multiple chipping areas from different spots in your yard for a whole range of chipping distances and shots to practice toward the practice green.
Better Playgrounds
Take your children’s play area to the next level by installing turf instead of grass or mulch. Like pools, playgrounds are heavy foot traffic areas and are more likely to have bare spots of hard, compacted earth and muddy ruts when it rains. Eliminate all this with turf and keep the kids’ play area clean and pristine. Padding can even be installed under the turf, so when the kiddos’ inevitable trips and falls occur, there’s less chance of serious injury.
