Tags: evergreens uk

Even with the return of rainclouds and the lifting of hosepipe bans in North West England and other areas of the country, water companies are urging citizens to continue saving water in their homes wherever possible, after Britain suffered its driest summer in 70 years.

These measures include replacing garden lawns with low-maintenance artificial grass, reducing the need for sprinklers and hoses.

United Utilities, which instigated this summer’s hosepipe bans in July, has reaffirmed the importance of water saving measures in the home as well as the garden, even during times when water is in plentiful supply. The Warrington-based utility company emphasised the lasting benefits of domestic water saving practices, which can help conserve the environment.

Saving water and energy will be a key topic of next month’s National Home Improvement Show, taking place at London’s Earls Court from 1 to 3 October 2010. Spokesperson Michael Holmes said there are many inexpensive home improvements residents can carry out to conserve water and make their properties greener, from repairing dripping taps to washing cutlery in the dishwasher rather than by hand.

“It uses less water and saves approximately £15 per year,” Mr Holmes told BigGreenSmile.com.

Artificial lawns offer a more long-term solution to cut household bills and water usage, reducing the time and energy needed to take care of your garden, and looking fresh and vibrant even in the driest conditions.

With many domestic water supplies now being metered and utility prices expected to increase sharply in coming years, synthetic grass can be a shrewd investment in your home’s future. When you choose professional artificial grass installations from Evergreens UK, your new lawn will be guaranteed for 10 years, though most last much longer - usually between 15 and 20 years, to provide a long-term solution.

Despite being a nation of sport lovers, Britain is not exactly renowned for its golfers - even with events like the Scottish Open being major fixtures of the golfing calendar.

But with American golfers slipping down the ranks and Brits scoring some key victories this summer - most notably Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell being the first Brit to win the US Open since Tony Jacklin 40 years ago - the time is ripe for young British talent to once again take home the big awards and live up to the England Golf Partnership (EGP) 2020 vision of recognition as the “leading golfing nation in the world.”

This week, the EGP announced a new coaching opportunity to help the UK’s stars of the future. This joint initiative with the English Golf Union (EGU) and English Women’s Golf Association (EWGA) offers a way for budding golfers aged 16 to 19 to fit golf coaching around their full-time education, as well as granting access to the much-coveted PGA Foundation Degree that could start them off in their dream career.

The England Futures project will not only involve training in the sport itself, but also see experienced PGA trainers teaching everything from putting skills to conditioning, psychological training and the science of golf. The initiative is part of the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) programme, which has already produced rising stars such as Rachel Jennings.

Even as the summer weather fades into autumn and winter, there are still plenty of opportunities for hopeful golfing stars to practice their swing at local clubs and even in their own garden, when making use of artificial golf tee mats. These highly durable mats are ideal for municipal clubs and driving ranges alike, and capable of standing up to a high volume of wear and tear - much more so than natural turf.

Evergreens UK is the nation’s largest supplier of artificial grass and associated golf products, and offers super-durable 36mm nylon artificial tee grass, which can be bought off the roll to achieve the desired width of the tee area. Players can locate the tee anywhere in the grass’ surface.

However, if you’re keen to improve your game at home, away from the scrutiny of other players, putting greens can be an ideal choice for suburban gardens, and players can choose the surface best suited to their ability.

Despite claims over the past few years that Britain’s holiday home market would be thrown into crisis by the global economic downturn, it’s been revealed this week that holiday homes are in fact enjoying resurgence.

According to Mail Online, a combination of low interest rates and good weather has sparked the strongest demand for holiday homes in five years, as more sun-seekers buy properties on the coast and in scenic areas of the British countryside to enjoy their holidays in a home away from home.

Estate agents Knight Frank revealed that sales of holiday homes have risen 2.6 per cent compared to last year, with predictions of another two per cent jump by the end of the year as the housing market continues to recover. Experts also expect holiday home sales to break the 250,000 barrier this year, setting a new record.

Holiday homes are not only about the pursuit of leisure though, with many buyers taking advantage of low interest levels to purchase and convert properties into B&Bs or leasing them out to other holidaymakers when they aren’t present.

Whether you’re buying a holiday home for business or pleasure, year-round maintenance can be one of the most pressing issues, which is why many holiday home owners are now choosing artificial lawns as a low-maintenance alternative to natural grass. With no watering or mowing needed, artificial grass makes the perfect solution for keeping holiday home lawns looking pristine at all times of the year, so you don’t have to worry about the grass getting overgrown and making your property look untidy.

Artificial grass can be used for many areas of holiday homes, including front and back gardens as well as features such as roof gardens. If your holiday home is located abroad, it can be even more important to find low-maintenance solutions, as you likely won’t be able to make the trip over very often.

Fortunately, installing artificial lawns in properties abroad can be simple even if you don’t live there permanently. Evergreens UK is the UK’s leading artificial grass supplier and offers fitting for artificial lawns, as well as patios and pool surrounds, throughout the EU.

The old adage that the grass is always greener on the other side is coming true for many British gardeners this summer, peering over the fence to discover their neighbour is one of a growing number of people choosing to replace their withering natural grass with a pristine artificial lawn.

Artificial grass is a low-maintenance, all-weather alternative to natural grass that’s taking the country by storm, particularly in the face of one of the driest summers in recent history. Not only does low-maintenance synthetic grass save time and energy, it also makes a great play area surface under children’s climbing frames and can prove more resilient to things like dog urine than its natural counterpart.

Writing for the Daily Mail, Liz Hull reports that sales of synthetic turf are booming in Britain in 2010, with Evergreens UK, the nation’s largest artificial grass supplier, selling around 15,000 square metres each week - a rise of 35 per cent over last summer.

Artificial grass convert Paul Broster told the Mail: “Our garden is north-facing and the existing grass just never got any sun.

“For months and months of the year, it was a permanent mud bath. It was costing me £100 a time to replace the lawn, so I decided to bite the bullet and fork out for artificial grass.

“It is much better because the dog and kids can play on it all year round without getting filthy or traipsing mud through the house.”

Evergreens UK told The Independent that trend-setting London is leading the way in artificial grass adoption, including roof gardens to brighten up terraces.

It was previously reported that the summer drought was turning more people to artificial grass, after the Telegraph reported that England and Wales received only half their typical rainfall for May and June. Wet weather is not expected to return in full force until at least September.

Artificial grass has also made an impact beyond domestic gardens this summer - first with the Royal Horticultural Society allowing artificial grass at the Chelsea Flower Show for the first time in its history, and more recently with bosses of Wembley Stadium finally recognising the advantages of artificial turf.

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

If it’s not the World Cup that’s on everyone’s lips, it’s the return of Big Brother that’s got tongues wagging as the iconic TV show enters its final year. Along with a new batch of colourful characters and bizarre challenges making sure the show goes out with a bang, the iconic house in Elstree has been kitted out with some intriguing new areas for series 11 - including brand new rooms in the garden.

The Big Brother garden is a core area of social interaction between the housemates, and is fitted with artificial grass, which is perfectly suited to stand up to the ever-changing weather of the British summertime and always looks great under the scrutiny of the TV cameras.

The Big Brother garden was once again fitted by Evergreens UK, the leading supplier of artificial grass and event flooring in the UK. The series’ production company Endemol decided that natural grass was unsuitable for use in the house several years ago, and called in Evergreens UK to fit synthetic lawns for several series of Big Brother as well as Celebrity Big Brother. These lawns were fitted in just one day, during construction of the house.

The new artificial lawn for the current series is 120 square metres in size, and uses durable artificial grass that keeps its shape and won’t show signs of wear and tear even under the feet of housemates for the next few months - it also won’t add muddy footprints to their list of cleaning duties.

This year’s Big Brother garden may end up hosting the most activity yet - and not only thanks to the great weather! The ‘natural world’ theme of this year’s garden has seen the construction of a unique room named The Nest, which Channel4.com says contains enough chairs to comfortably contain all the housemates. Viewers can be sure that this outdoor room will be the scene of many dramatic encounters over the course of this landmark series.