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Case Study: 7 Gardens with Artificial Grass

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Garden Design 101Issue 26 — Farmhouse Gardens

Case Study: 7 Gardens with Artificial Grass

June 17, 2017

Artificial grass incites strong feelings. Either you love it (for looking good, lasting 20 years, and never needing water) or you hate it (for being an unnatural  petroleum-based product). See more about the Pros and Cons of Artificial Grass in our previous coverage; today we’ve rounded up seven case studies of gardens where artificial grass replaces traditional turf.

Backyard Putting Green

A Seattle homeowner spent seven years traveling the world as a professional golfer; a putting green was a must. The green’s ForeverLawn artificial grass is usable year-round. Photograph courtesy of Belathée Photography.
Above: A Seattle homeowner spent seven years traveling the world as a professional golfer; a putting green was a must. The green’s ForeverLawn artificial grass is usable year-round. Photograph courtesy of Belathée Photography.

For more, see Sleekness in Seattle: Modern Garden, Midcentury House.

A Family-Friendly Backyard

In Mill Valley, California architect Kelly Haegglund designed a \1,900-square-foot house for herself and her family, installing artificial grass in the backyard to eliminate water usage and maintenance. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
Above: In Mill Valley, California architect Kelly Haegglund designed a 1,900-square-foot house for herself and her family, installing artificial grass in the backyard to eliminate water usage and maintenance. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.

For more, see Garden Visit: At Home with Architect Kelly Haegglund in Mill Valley, California.

Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
Above: Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.

Around the perimeter of the artificial turf are garden beds with drought-tolerant perennials and ground covers.

Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
Above: Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.

The garden is partially shaded; it makes no difference to artificial grass whether it’s in sun or shade.

Four Seasons Lawn in Brooklyn

Garden designer Susan Welti of Foras Studio designed a structured hardscape—with masonry retaining walls, a bluestone terrace, a vegetable parterre, and espaliered fruit trees—to the scene for a pared-down palette of a white garden designed for a five-story townhouse in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens neighborhood. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
Above: Garden designer Susan Welti of Foras Studio designed a structured hardscape—with masonry retaining walls, a bluestone terrace, a vegetable parterre, and espaliered fruit trees—to the scene for a pared-down palette of a white garden designed for a five-story townhouse in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens neighborhood. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
Above: Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.

Up on the Rooftop

When she was renovating her townhouse apartment in Cobble Hill, garden designer Julie Farris also wanted a roof garden that could play a big role in her family’s life. She chose artificial turf for a number of reasons: It doesn’t require watering or mowing, and there’s no need to replace grass damaged by heat or sun. Photograph by Sophia Moreno-Bunge for Gardenista.
Above: When she was renovating her townhouse apartment in Cobble Hill, garden designer Julie Farris also wanted a roof garden that could play a big role in her family’s life. She chose artificial turf for a number of reasons: It doesn’t require watering or mowing, and there’s no need to replace grass damaged by heat or sun. Photograph by Sophia Moreno-Bunge for Gardenista.

For more, see Garden Designer Visit: A Rooftop Meadow Garden in Brooklyn.

Photograph by Sophia Moreno-Bunge for Gardenista.
Photograph by Sophia Moreno-Bunge for Gardenista.

Proper drainage is very important on a roof garden, particularly in Brooklyn, where you need to protect both your own building and that of your neighbors, notes Farris.

In London Fog

Lush, rainforest plantings that the garden designers installed thrive in Christine Chang Hanway&#8\2\17;s London garden, but plants that require more sun (such as hydrangeas or turf grass) don&#8\2\17;t last long. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
Above: Lush, rainforest plantings that the garden designers installed thrive in Christine Chang Hanway’s London garden, but plants that require more sun (such as hydrangeas or turf grass) don’t last long. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.

Says Christine: “When we wanted to accommodate the teens that came to hang out in our tiny garden, we provided them with different types of outdoor seating—outdoor sofas, a wooden bench, and two folding chairs from Ikea. Sometimes there were too many (teens, that is) and then they would sit directly on the cold, damp paving stones. That was when we installed the artificial grass.”

For more of Christine&#8\2\17;s garden, see Urban Space: Getting My London Garden to Love Me Back. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
Above: For more of Christine’s garden, see Urban Space: Getting My London Garden to Love Me Back. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.

Water Wise in California

Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
Above: Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.

Architect Barbara Chambers installed an artificial grass lawn in her garden in Mill Valley, California to save water in a drought-prone region.

Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
Above: Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.

Chambers installed Dupont’s ForeverLawn in her backyard.

Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
Above: Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.

To lay paver required cutting out squares of turf. “I started using the cutouts for doormats and found they worked really well,”says Chambers.

See more of this garden in our book, Gardenista: The Definitive Guide to Stylish Outdoor Spaces.

Tough Turf for a City Balcony

Photograph by Jonathan Gooch for Gardenista.
Above: Photograph by Jonathan Gooch for Gardenista.

British gardening writer Isabelle Palmer has two balconies at her flat in a converted Congregational church in London.

Photograph by Jonathan Gooch.
Above: Photograph by Jonathan Gooch.

Palmer laid artificial grass on a balcony for added color.

Photograph by Jonathan Gooch.
Above: Photograph by Jonathan Gooch.

For more gardening ideas from Palmer, see Ask the Expert: 10 Balcony Gardening Tips from Isabelle Palmer.

N.B.: Looking for a lawn replacement? See:

Finally, get more ideas on how to plant, grow and care for various grasses with our Grasses: A Field Guide.

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