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Going green takes on a new meaning when homeowners select artificial landscaping. A lawn that stays green year-round and reduces maintenance impacts on the environment is a trend in Southwest Florida.
“It’s the shiny new thing,” says Amber Manwaring, owner of Supreme Greens of SWFL. She and her family started the company after seeing the advantages and popularity of artificial turf during the pandemic and after Hurricane Ian’s flooding.
“During COVID when people were home, we put in a lot of putting greens,” she says noting that owners of Airbnb properties also add them to make those rentals more attractive. “Then people put it in parts of their lawn where grass won’t grow or where people park by the street and ruin their grass.”
Synthetic turf has come a long way from the AstroTurf of the 1960s that many people identify with football fields, says Dustin Tarvin, project manager with Accurate Pavers.
“It looks realistic and natural,” he says. “The only time you can tell it’s fake is if you stand on top of it. If you’re just driving by, you won’t know it.”
Tarvin works with landscape architects to implement paver designs that incorporate synthetic turf. These can include driveways, entire lawns, lanai and patio seating areas, pool decks, children’s backyard play areas, home putting greens, pet runs, and vertical accents on walls and even outdoor showers.
“If you have a big driveway with a ton of brick, it looks blah. But synthetic turf is a great way to make a runway for your vehicle as a grand entrance to your home,” he says.
Manwaring has installed artificial turf temporarily for weddings and other parties, and adds artificial hedges on patios, near outdoor kitchens and as privacy walls.
Wallace Peter hired Supreme Greens of SWFL to install a 60’ x 25’ play area near the pool deck of his Naples backyard last summer. He uses it for bocce and corn hole and may move his ping pong table onto it.
“It’s beautiful to look at because it’s a perfectly green landscape all the time,” Peter says. “It’s a real focal point of my yard.”
Peter says the turf is comfortable to walk on with bare feet and that the upkeep is minimal.
“I don’t have to mow it, fertilize it or water it,” he says.
That no-maintenance aspect is an appealing benefit for many people.
“Homeowners and homeowners associations are looking at the money they spend on landscaping maintenance year after year,” says Vincent Gilberti, local sales manager for ProGreen, a nationwide company founded in 1987. He says people transition to artificial turf to save these expenses as well as to reduce water usage and the application of fertilizer chemicals.
“People want to spend more time enjoying their space and less time maintaining it,” Gilberti says.
Artificial turf comes in a variety of heights and colors, from 1 1/8 inches for high traffic areas to 2 inches for a more plush look. Colors range from lime to olive green. Supreme Greens even offers blue, red and purple turf.
A crosshatch pattern of artificial turf can make a lanai feel more natural.
The blades are usually made from nylon, polypropylene, or polyethylene fibers, while the backing may be perforated felt, latex, polyester, or polyethylene. They are typically lead-free, pet-friendly, stain-resistant, and permeable. The products, which won’t fade and don’t grow mold, typically come with a 15-year warranty. Because of their materials, they can get hot in the strong summer sun.
Manufactured artificial turf looks similar to carpet, coming on a roll about 15 feet wide and 100 feet long. Installers dig up about three inches of existing lawn, place a barrier to prevent grass and weeds from growing through, add stone aggregate as fill that allows drainage, staple the turf to a perimeter of PVC trim board, and top dress the turf with silica sand to hold it in place.
Depending on the size of the project, the process can take one to three days. Prices range from around $8 to $15 per square foot.
Brian Manwaring, head of installation for Supreme Greens of SWFL, and his crew prepare a yard for artificial turf.
Maintenance can include raking to remove items as needed and an annual “broom and groom” service from the installing company to remove items that settled deep in the turf.
Tony Matthews, who had a replica of the famous number 17 par 3 hole of TPC Sawgrass created in his Bonita Spring’s backyard, uses a leaf blower to clear the two tee boxes and green when he plays a few times a week.
“I had a lifelong dream of having my own golf green in my backyard,” says Matthews, who tees off from 95 yards away over a pond. “Artificial landscaping made that dream come true. It’s low maintenance, just cleaning off the top, and it feels natural.”
Matthews says the turf is durable, having not changed at all despite many swings since it was installed last summer. He likes it so much he’s going to add it to the bar and entertainment area near the pool he just had installed. ¦
Artificial turf adds a pop of color along large driveways and creates a dramatic entrance, says Vincent Gilberti with ProGreen.
Tony Matthews installed an artificial turf replica of the par 3 hole number 17 at TPC Sawgrass in his backyard.
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