The tide is turning in Britain’s gardens, where people are increasingly realising the benefits of artificial grass as a cost-effective, low-maintenance, all-weather alternative to natural lawns.

According to leading garden designers, synthetic grass has only recently caught on among Britain’s gardeners - despite being around for 45 years and having long been a popular solution in hot and arid countries, such as the Middle East and the southwestern United States, where natural grass would struggle to grow.

One of the main reasons cited for this late pick-up is the continuing development of premium quality artificial grass, which boasts a level of realism above and beyond the standards of artificial grass of decades past. Writing for the Guardian, designer Dawn Isaac pointed out the various differences between premium grades and cheaper options - with one noticeable difference being that superior artificial grass is often now indistinguishable from the ‘real thing’, even down to mixing in deliberate off-colour strands to create an impression of dead patches.

That’s not to say that artificial lawns are merely a second-rate alternative to natural turf, however - not with the many advantages unique to synthetic varieties. As Ms Isaac points out, there are many places where laying and maintaining natural grass would be impractical, such as on roof terraces and busy city streets, which can now be brightened up with a touch of green.

Artificial grass can also help home owners lessen their environmental impact, by eliminating the need for excessive watering, fertilising and mowing. But just because artificial lawns are easier to care for than natural grass doesn’t mean you can throw away your garden tools altogether - a quick monthly sweep should be enough to get rid of dead leaves and weeds.

This weekend’s climax of the 2010 Open Championship proved that the World Cup and Wimbledon weren’t the only sport events to get excited about this summer - and as previously untouchable American players fell one by one against rising international stars, everything’s to play for on the world’s putting greens.

The success of the British Open has already inspired budding players across the UK to practice their swing in the hope of becoming the next Louis Oosthuizen or Jin Jeong, and artificial putting greens are an ideal way to practice and enjoy a leisurely round of golf in the comfort of your own garden, before braving the competition on public courses.

There are many advantages to choosing a synthetic putting green installation, not only in terms of the cost and time you’ll save on maintaining the perfect pile and density, but also making it easier to design the ideal course for your home or leisure facility, with a range of shapes and sizes available.

Synthetic putting green surfaces such as Evergreens UK’s Nylon Pro is perfect for both domestic and commercial use, with its super-dense 14mm pile making for a consistent playing surface to help you get into the swing of things. This density also means the surface will play better than most other putting greens, as the fibres won’t need time to flatten out, so your ball won’t be slowed by resistance in the meantime.

There are other options available to suit golfers of all levels, such as the Grass Park Junior putting green surface, which is well-suited to amateur players, and comes equipped with a rubber underlay shock pad to enhance the natural feel of the game.

Whatever putting green surface you choose, you can customise your playing speed by liberally applying kiln dry sand. By adding fringes and pathway surfacing to your home golf course, you’ll also be well prepared to practice short range chipping onto the green.

Dogs love to play, and having their own garden to roll around in at their leisure can ease the strain on their owners of having to find a public park nearby, something that can be especially difficult in built-up urban areas.

Of course, the downside of letting your dog roam free in your garden is that the lawn can soon become a dirty, muddy mess, especially in bad weather - that’s why more dog owners are turning to artificial grass to provide a low maintenance play surface for their canine companions whatever the weather.

Some dog owners worry their animals won’t take to an artificial lawn as eagerly as they do to natural grass, but a synthetic play area has plenty of advantages to owners as well as pets: dogs will be able to play in all weather conditions, without having to be cooped up indoors when the ground is too soggy or too hard and dry, and their owners won’t have to deal with muddy paw-prints on the carpets.

In fact, the only thing your dog may miss is being able to dig up the lawn - which should come as a relief to owners.

Soft artificial grass can be an ideal environment for dogs to play in, and will remain free of stains and smells, however hard your dog tries to leave its mark. It’s easy to scoop up waste, and no odours will be left behind if you’re hosting barbecues or garden parties.

With the recent news that more people will be turning to artificial grass to combat summer droughts, many dogs across the UK will surely be thanking their owners for their new all-weather play areas.

Just as Brits are starting to embrace the warm weather with barbecues and garden parties, the nation’s lawns are already turning brown, due to lasting damage from the coldest winter in 30 years combining with the hot and dry summer.

According to the Telegraph, England and Wales received only half their typical rainfall for May and June (average 34-35mm), and wet weather isn’t expected to return in full force until at least September - which will leave many home owners disappointed when looking out over their barren gardens this summer.

Even public gardens like the RHS Wisley and Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew are suffering from the drought, combined with diseases left over from the wet autumn and winter that are still affecting gardens nationwide.

With no amount of treatment seeming to restore the healthy appearance of lawns, ever more people are turning to artificial grass as an all-weather solution for a fresh looking lawn. Not requiring the expensive and time-consuming maintenance of natural grass, modern artificial lawns look every bit as good as the real thing, with the advantage that their UV stabilised tufts will look fresh and vibrant even in the driest conditions.

While the dry weather will continue to hit all areas of the UK throughout the next few months, homes in North West England could be particularly affected, with hosepipe bans expected to come into force shortly. Even areas that are not hit by watering bans could still face steep charges when irrigating natural lawns - especially as more water supplies are now metered.

By installing synthetic grass in their gardens, Brits can avoid the increasing costs of maintaining a natural lawn. Artificial grass is guaranteed for up to 10 years, but garden owners can expect a much longer lifespan than that from their synthetic lawns, with most lasting between 15 and 20 years to provide a long-term solution for a greener garden.

With the Met Office predicting one of the hottest summers in recent history heading our way, there’s sometimes no better way to enjoy the British summertime than by relaxing in your own garden. But for those who suffer from allergies such as hay-fever, ‘relaxing’ can be easier said than done.

Hay-fever is a common condition that affects as many as one in four of the population - that’s over 10 million people in England alone who suffer from sneezing, itching and other sources of discomfort when trying to enjoy the great outdoors.

Fortunately, although country walks may still present a problem, taking steps to reduce the effects of hay-fever in your own back garden can be simple when replacing your natural lawn with artificial grass.

Not only will an artificial lawn be safer for allergy sufferers, but synthetic grass also doesn’t require maintenance. Considering grass cuttings can be one of the main sources of hay-fever, this means a lot more than just saving you the time involved in mowing the lawn!

While replacing your natural grass with durable synthetic turf won’t cure your hay-fever, of course, it can be a great preventative measure, and go a long way towards letting you unwind in the summer. Other steps you can take to minimise the effects of hay-fever include wearing large or wrap-around sunglasses to protect your eyes from airborne pollen, and keeping doors and windows closed to make sure you don’t suffer when inside.

Even beyond alleviating allergies, there are many more advantages of upgrading to artificial grass this summer - not least the fears over water shortages that are already seeing communities being advised to limit their use of hosepipes and sprinklers. Because artificial grass doesn’t need to be watered - and is UV stabilised to keep its fresh and natural look even in dry conditions - synthetic lawns are ideal solutions if you’re looking to do your bit towards helping with water shortages in your area.

Artificial grass has a wide variety of uses beyond gardens and play areas - it can also be a valuable display tool for eye-catching sales installations. And when it’s not being used for lawns, that means there’s no reason to limit the colour palette to natural greens.

Synthetic grass is currently being put to effective promotional use at Selfridges stores in London and Manchester. Evergreens UK installed a total of 200 square metres of Lace Black grass from their colourful Funky range to give a distinctive look to Selfridges on Duke Street, in London’s fashionable Mayfair area.

Selfridges’ new promotion comes the same week the chain was recognised as the world’s leading department store at the Intercontinental Group of Department Stories meeting in New York. The company has a long association with Evergreens UK, which also installed coloured artificial grass for the high-profile launch of the Selfridges store in Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre in just two hours.

Evergreens UK’s Funky range of artificial grass is ideal for creating striking displays that make an instant impression, and can also be highly effective when combined with logo mats and event flooring.

Evergreens has recently added some brand new colours to the range, too - including a vibrant pink and a tangy orange - offering even more options for vibrant displays.

Pictures by Andrew Meredith ©2010