The Past
Do you remember going to a friends place as a kid and their parents would have blue Astro turf around the raised hot tub or even up the wall ! Oh yes you do! OMG – platform shoes and a floral shirt with big old collar lol !!! – it wasn’t that long ago!!!
Oh yes – sun bleached and BLUE !
We’ve come a long long way since then. I remember sitting with a friend of mine on Chelsea Piers here in Manhattan – or at least one of the piers in that area. We were watching the kids play with some friends and our conversation turned to landscaping and synthetic lawn.
– he was like – “no way not for me if it ‘ain’t real I wouldn’t want it “
– I’m like – “you realize we are sitting on it ” And we were.
This lovely lovely lawn we were sitting on was completely synthetic. It had small rocks and pebbles that had been brushed into it. It felt like you were sitting on a lovely well kept little rolling hill. He was utterly astonished.
The Present
A lovely synthetic lawn that mimics a real one perfectly !
Do we use it on our terraces – absolutely ! It looks amazing, it feels incredible and avoids the issues of putting a live lawn on a rooftop.
A spectacular little oasis with a Faux lawn
To keep a beloved fescue lawn alive on a rooftop is a constant challenge and a constant expense.
Actual real lawn needs 8-10 inches of soil below it to give it a fighting chance. It needs to be mowed weekly, fertilized and treated constantly for the amazing amount of insects and diseases that go to it like a magnet ! Not to mention – mowing on a rooftop is an issue – you don’t want something flying over the edge of a terrace as it is hit with a lawn mower.
Then there is the irrigation system it requires and that needs to be adjusted several times a season to keep up with the changing weather. Pop up sprinklers need to be installed to ensure correct coverage for irrigation. The excess water will land on pavers and they in turn will turn green – requiring cleaning, and bleaching once a month.
A synthetic lawn can be expensive to install. But the one time costs are small compared to a live lawn. Once it is in place it just needs a shampoo once or twice a year and a vacuum every now and again – and voila !!!! – Your rooftop lawn is back and looking good !!!
looking good to me !
For a care free lawn on your fabulous rooftop garden our Design Team is there to help !
Don’t delay – Call today !
PLANT SPECIALISTS
GREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 52 YEARS !
Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBA
All photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK and some of our gardens too!
