Best Landscape Ideas

After years of mockery, belittling and ridicule of the fake plant brigade, Im going over to the dark side. Ok, Im not going over all the way. Im just going over to admire the artificial grass.

But lately Ive found myself looking at artificial grass in a different light. Its got a lot going for it that I couldnt see when I couldnt see past the word "artificial":

1. It doesnt need any water. In our water conserving times, this is a big plus. Anything that stays green, and doesnt need to be watered twice a week deserves a little recognition.

2. Its durable. It will take a fair amount of traffic without looking untidy or worn.

3. It doesnt need to be trimmed. For those of you who find the process of mowing lawns cathartic, you can close your eyes for this one. But the costs in time, labour and resources in keeping a lawn in perfect condition can be a strong argument against lawns.

4. It seems to be much improved from the strange green colour and texture that it used to have. There seems to be better and more choices these days.

5. There is also the argument that large areas of grass are artificial anyway, and do little for the environment anyway.

Im not arguing that artificial grass is on an equal footing with grass - it isnt. For one thing, that feeling of walking barefoot on cool grass cant be replaced.
I think the place for artificial grass is for areas where the look of a lawn is whats needed, but for any number of reasons it wont grow without undue amounts of work to keep it looking at its best.

Will you be going over to the dark side?