FieldTurf Artificial Grass for Landscaping

Imagine never having to mow your yard again. No more watering, fertilizing or worrying about your allergies acting up. You can have all this and more when you trade in your lawn for artificial grass.

The owners of this 80-year-old house refer to it as the “anti-condo,” which comes with a small urban backyard. For the empty nesters, the house seemed too quiet, especially with the passing of Belmont, their beloved golden retriever, two years ago. Last November, Casey, also a golden retriever, became part of the family. Having a smaller backyard and an energetic 80-pound, 18-month-old puppy soon proved to be challenging for their entertaining lifestyle.

When the couple’s two boys were growing up, they spent countless hours watching them play football and lacrosse on artificial turf. Now they wondered if there was a residential application that would be durable enough to withstand the rough-housing, chewing and bathroom breaks by Casey and friends. After doing some research, they came across FieldTurf Landscape. No longer just for athletic fields, artificial lawn application is a resilient polyethylene blend with a porous backing that looks and feels like the real thing — without all the hassle — and is made specifically for residential lawns and commercial landscapes.

The local distributor of FieldTurf, Turf Etc., is the synthetic turf distribution and installation company that installed this pet-friendly yard for the social Midtown residents. “One of the biggest benefits [for residential applications] is that we reuse materials,” says Turf Etc.’s owner Angela Grego. “All of the rubber infill is recycled tires, which makes the blades stand up straight.” Other benefits, she says, are that “you’re not using water, chemicals or having to install an irrigation system. It’s virtually maintenance-free.”

When Angela showed up to install the turf in May, it took three days to excavate the original lawn, add a drainage system and “glue” all the way around the turf to dog-proof the new yard. “To me it looks like perfectly groomed Bermuda grass,” the homeowner says. “It’s been great; all I have to do is sweep it.” The turf also is protected from UV rays, so the color won’t fade, which is just another reason it comes with an 8-year warranty. (They’ll also have the greenest yard year-round.)

Despite having a synthetic backyard, it doesn’t take away from being able to tend to favorite hardy plants. Surrounding the artificial lawn are arborvitae trees, holly bushes and azaleas, which Casey likes to jump over during playtime. Other colorful, fragrant plants include a blue spruce, carpet roses, basil, lilacs and Japanese spirea.

To top off the new aesthetically pleasing backyard, it comes with “mower lines” that even friends can’t tell aren’t real.

Casey might not notice a difference either, but his owners couldn’t be happier with their decision. Although the front yard is still real grass, the backyard is nearly hassle-free, with the exception of sweeping every now and then and picking up puppy waste. Then again, it is Casey’s turf.

For more information on artificial grass for landscaping, please visit www.fieldturf.com/landscaping