Fake grass? My daughter loves it, and so do I

Debbie Austin says an artificial lawn in her back yard has allowed her daughter to spend time outdoors safely, while Vivienne Cox says she doesn’t think her small bit of green is a blight on the planet

I have read many negative articles about fake lawns (The plastic lawn backlash: why people are pulling up their fetid fake grass, 31 July). I have never yet seen one with a counter perspective, so here is mine. I live in a terraced house in Cumbria that, when we moved in, had a small concrete back yard. Our daughter has a severe learning disability and is autistic. A year after moving in (when she was six), we removed the concrete and laid fake grass to give her a year-round safe, accessible garden. She can be safely outside whenever she wants, in all weathers – and she is.

It rains a lot in Cumbria, so a lawn here would be a mudbath much of the time and that in itself would cause significant challenges for her and us. I am always saddened to read black and white arguments about fake grass, as there can be another perspective, especially in relation to disability.

Our daughter loves her garden and it gives her such pleasure. I have no regrets about choosing a fake lawn over concrete. Banning fake lawns would disproportionately affect our daughter and make an already inaccessible world a little more so.Debbie AustinKendal, Cumbria

I confess to having artificial grass in my back garden. It is a small garden in London and I tried for many years to grow grass, but new turf or seed never seemed to work. Not enough sunshine reached my patch and it was just mostly mud. I bought offcuts of good-quality fake grass and put it down in bits. It is a patchwork and the pieces are just laid right on the soil with no concrete, or whatever it is people have, beneath. Every so often I pull back a bit and let the robin in the garden get at the worms.

The rest of the garden – border area all round – is a profusion of roses, jasmine, ivy and other things that grow. The water drains through my artificial lawn with no problem and I am planning to cut holes in it and plant daisies. Under the circumstances, I do not feel that my small bit of green is a blight on the planet. I’d rather see artificial grass in people’s front gardens for cars to park on than paving. My own front garden is naturally green.Vivienne CoxLondon

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