Our Dream Garden with Artificial Grass
Our Dream Garden with Artificial Grass – Now that we have our third and final child here, at the top of our list is making sure that the house is sorted before our new arrival gets here.
On the inside we’re in the process of sorting and organising everything that we have to optimise space and make it as homely but functional as possible.
Since the last time we welcomed a new baby to the world we have another addition to our family. Charlie our lovable labradoodle we got four years ago when Ryan was fifteen and Isabelle was three years old.
There is an incorrect fact floating around the dog world where Labradoodles don’t shed their fur. This is a total lie, their fur is less likely to aggravate any allergies that you may have to dogs but he’s a big hairy beast who leaves a trail of fur wherever he goes.
Charlie’s fur gets absolutely everywhere! This hasn’t been such an issue with Isabelle being three when we first got him so she was no longer crawling or potentially eating things off the floor which may be fur covered.
With a new baby in the house we’ve had to have a huge rethink about the dog fur issue. We’re in the process of removing our downstairs carpet which his fur seems to knit into, and replacing with wooden flooring so that we can use a static mop to make sure the floor can be kept clean for once the baby starts to crawl and play.
I’m not sure how Charlie is going to fair with this since he does a pretty impressive Scooby Doo impression on the kitchen floor at the moment if he attempts to run. It could be quite amusing.
We don’t allow him upstairs as I’m not keen on dogs sleeping on beds so hopefully the baby’s room will be a dog fur free zone.
The garden is the other major space that needs our consideration. I know this isn’t something that we need to sort just yet, but once the baby is mobile we’ll need to have a rethink.
My Dream Garden
I’m a huge fan of Pinterest and love looking at perfect kitchens, bathrooms and gardens. If I were to have the garden of my dreams it would be big with three separate areas.
The kids area
We’d have a kids area with outdoor wooden play equipment and Isabelle’s trampoline and a gorgeous playhouse and fairy garden. Maybe a mud garden area and a vegetable patch. This would have a cute little fence around it so that Charlie wouldn’t go in and do his business or steal all the toys. We could even have some flowers and plants in this area as Charlie wouldn’t be able to get in and eat them.
Main lawn area
The main part of the garden would be accessible to all with low maintenance plants as we’re not particularly green fingered and Charlie does like to eat the odd flower or two so we don’t really do patio pots or flowers at the moment. Charlie is quite particular about where he does his business so maybe we could have a ‘Dog pooh corner’ incorporated somehow.
More and more people have been having artificial grass laid as it’s low maintenance and can be played on all year round. Our current garden has a bit of a slope and doesn’t drain particularly well which means that when it rains it takes quite a while for it to dry out enough for Isabelle to play on without it turning into a bog. We also have the same problem with Charlie going out on the grass when its wet as he comes back in with wet muddy paws which is a bit of a pain.
When I first heard of artificial grass I completely ruled it out thinking of the stuff that you used to see at the greengrocers where they put the fruit and veg. I had visions of cheap, plastic looking stuff and couldn’t quite envisage how it would look anything other than naff.
However, there are loads of perks to the artificial grass route such as:
Never having to mow the lawn – the garden is good to go all year round.
Easy to maintain – The grass can be cleaned with a mild detergent or special grass cleaner and will drain to dry
It’s safe for both children and pets to play on – opting for a softer grass for children is preferable
It stays green and lush looking all year round – No dry bare patches in the summer or muddy bog situations happening.
You don’t have to have a lawnmower!
I love the fact that you can wash it down so that it will be hygenic if Charlie has done his business, and also no wee burn patches on the grass would be nice.
It does have to be installed properly by a Landscape Gardener and ground needs to be prepared properly to gain the best result, but once it’s done think of all the time you’ll save not having to do the usual Sunday mow. I think it’s quite funny that you buy it by the metre like you would a carpet, but I suppose it kind of is the same.
Patio/BBQ area
I would love a grown up part of the garden where we have a built in barbeque, fire pit and a gorgeous seating area which can be used during the day and then at night with the use of outdoor lighting. I think this would need to be some kind of stone slabs rather than decking since the decking can become slippery when wet and needs maintenance. Chris would be the king of the Barbeque whilst I sit and watch the kids with a Pimms in hand. If I were to go one step further I’d have bi-fold doors to create a gorgeous indoor/outdoor living area leading into my state of the art open plan kitchen/dining area with huge beanbags or cushions where we can sit and relax.
A simple way to connect these two areas would either be through a similar colour scheme or having the same floor and skirting boards running throughout. A simple but very effective way to keep the two areas separate, yet also connected.
One day I hope this to be our reality but for now I can but dream……..
* This was a collaborative post with Grass Direct
