Our artificial grass

PG my son did not cover his small garden with artificial grass because he was lazy but because he has a real problem with hayfever and couldn't cut the grass without suffering considerably. He could get no pleasure from being in the garden. I am sorry about the wildlife but my son and his family deserve a life too. They have problems that you cannot imagine and have gone though a very difficult time. They now have the opportunity to spend some quality time together relaxing in their garden and enjoying it for the first time in years. I respect your views but please do not feel the need to "lecture" me. Walk in other shoes before you post your dogmatic opinions.

Sorry auntiflo I too forgot to congratulate you on your wedding anniversary. I hope you enjoy your new lawn (virtual ones, I did not pick them!)

Well said Crafting

Auntiflo I also omitted to send you many congratulations on your wedding anniversary. You can never have enough , hope you and Uncleflo will enjoy many more years together relaxing in your garden ??

Congratulations on your Emerald Wedding Anniversary!

I am not a huge fan of artificial grass but I can see that it may be a better choice than having hard landscaping when managing a lawn becomes very difficult.

It is good to make up for loss of natural surfaces with additional planting that is good for pollinators but it looks like you already have lots of lovely plants. When I had to remove a large tree that was home to various wildlife I planted 3 smaller ones in an attempt to redress the loss. Unfortunately two died and I am not sure I can afford to gamble with replacing them

Congratulations on your emerald anniversary from me too.

I've been sitting on my hands as I am really not a fan of artificial grass, and am very concerned that it is becoming more and more common. When ti is one garden here and there - as now- then it is fine. But when it becomes the norm, just as concreting/paving front gardens for car parking has become- then it will be truly a disaster for bees and wildlife.

Didn't say so as I didn't think it was right to rain on your parade- and your anniversary.

Personally I'd rather employ someone to come and cut the grass every two weeks. But hey ho...

Again, congratulations on your anniversary.

It looks really good auntieflo and I can see that you have plenty planting available for the wild life. No regrets here about our artificial grass either - we are in our 70s and find it so much easier to maintain and keep looking nice than the previous scrubby, lumpy, stoney and weedy lawn.

I wish you and uncleflo many years of pleasure from it and also join other grans in sending congratulations on your 55th wedding anniversary.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of artificial anything I REALLY REALLY WISH we had an artificial leylandii hedge at this time every year.
We have such a lot of it and have to trim both sides. Too expensive to replace and what with?
No we didn't plant it.

I am so sorry Auntie Flo if I upset you. I have been married almost as long as you, and when you get there, it seems like no time at all .

Maybe I should have worded things better, but fake grass is fine (on a balcony) but I do my best with my bees and my plants to keep working and avoid their demise.

A little personal point now. Iirena, stop stalking me. It is unfair and a bit creepy.

Naughty Lirena replying to PG .....now she's thinks she's being stalked

Would that be a flower stalk?

Pamela I am with you on wishing for the fake hedge, we only have one, but it needs a lot of care to keep in shape.

Pollengran, thank you for that, but no, you didn't upset me. I know we almost take our life in our hands when we post anything on GN, but we all have our own likes and dislikes. You love your bees, and I admire you for all the work it must be for their upkeep, but they give you joy. I love our visiting bees, big fat lazy bumblebees that love some of our plants, and are so welcome in our garden. I love my garden, small though it is, and Mum loved it too. Actually, don't read the next bit if of delicate constution, but her ashes are scattered here, because she loved it. So we won't be moving on any time soon. I would just like to say again that I have been so warmed by all the good wishes on our forthcoming anniversary. To Pollengran also,good wishes to you whenever yours happens, you say you have been married almost as long as us. Long service medals all round. We are still chuffed with our 'green green grass of home'

What a lovely person you are Auntieflo

Thankyou Auntie Flo. It is 47 years for us, but in the scheme of things, that is quite a while .

I know you are enjoying your garden and that is exactly what it is for however you arrange it.

Once again, I am sorry for coming across in the way that I did. I wish there was a 10 minute delay button at times to allow me to rewrite my posts .

There's always something disarming about a genuine apology. Onwards and upwards.

Well said Pollengran. Congrats to the Auntieflo and her DH. Yes wouldn't I love a synthetic leylandii hedge. It was £250 to cut last September. And I've just had the other hedge cut round the garden for £240. It's all very well people saying get someone in to cut it but find them first. The gardener was quite poorly the other week and I panicked . I could see myself disappearing like a witch in a fairy tale into my crumbling house overgrown and hidden.

pollengran I have to thank you for triggering the most wondrous dream I had last night (well, you and the artisan cheese maker I bought from at the farmers market. Strong, dream inducing stuff, his cheese is, when gorged on eaten late at night!)

So, you know those Vietnamese who live in houses on stilts in a lake? Well, there were houses on stilts in a meadow of sunflowers in my dream. And there were bees. Butterflies, too, but definitely bees. In my dream I remember wondering where my epi pen was! Some of the butterflies were a vivid purple (yes, my dream was all in glorious technicolor). How about that, then? [

Leylandii, there was talk some years ago of banning the general sale of these, cos they seem such pretty little things, golden or green, still selling in the supermarkets at 99p a pop. Madness!

Congratulations Auntie Flo, that is a long marriage, and a novel way of celebrating your Emerald anniversary, even if unintentional. I like the mat too! Hope you have a really lovely celebration in September, perhaps afternoon tea in the garden?

I too am worried generally that fake grass does not get too popular for sake of wildlife. I totally understand in your situation, and you have flower beds too. Several colleagues at work in their early 30s have cleared their gardens and just have fake grass, no flowers. They just don't want the effort of mowing grass, no other reason, it is an outside room to them, and I do feel wildlife will suffer with loss of habitat, as this idea is getting more popular.

I have been feeling guilty because a large willow tree has finally part fallen, and had to be taken down. It had a lot of dead trunk where the woodpeckers nest every year. I am sorry they have lost their home, where they have been for some years.

Just back having had the Flu, and see the new posts here. Nice to see all this nonsense has died down, and apologies made and accepted.
Rather shocked to see strange comment from Pollengran to say stop stalking her?? I had to think twice before I posted again, but why should I not. Everyone elses comments are fine? Mine are stalking. Good Grief I am not in the manner of stalking anyone but IF I DID it sure as hades would not be YOU It would be George Clooney, so stop worrying

Oh I so agree with Pollengran. About a lot of things.

Sorry. Think fake grass is the pits. Why, for goodness sake?

But, each to his/her own, of course.

Congrats on the fifty five years btw.