the grass is greener...

...when it's faux!

because we live in a dry desert climate here in SoCal, we work hard to conserve water.
(which cracks me up, having lived north of Seattle for 18 years with more water than i knew what to DO with!)
one of the things we've done to keep our consumption down
is the choice to install artificial turf when designing our backyard.
the color is perfect all year long, there is NO maintenance - just picking up a few tree leaves and rose petals,
and because all of our landscape plants are on a drip system, no one else needs to come back here.
it's our own private oasis!

continue reading to see how i used faux turf to solve a few challenges...

if you look closely at the raised planting bed at the center rear of this photo,
you'll see our herb garden and our lemon tree - and behind them, a green hedge:

 ...only it's really NOT a hedge!

it's a faux hedge!

last summer, it was so hot here that the heat reflecting off of the vinyl fence BURNED the rose plant.
the southern-exposure fence gets sun from early morning to mid evening, and the constant heat can be intense.
we were planning to move the rose, and then i had an idea... what if BLOCK the heat instead?
how to DO that in a way that didn't look terrible was my challenge...
and a remnant of our faux turf gave me my solution:

i wrapped a piece of turf around a piece of wood trellis, and laid it against the fence behind the rosebush.
the trellis was bent into a slight arc, so the 'hedge' has a bit of dimension to it instead of being flat.
even from a close view, it gives the impression of being a trimmed hedge!

i used this same technique on the other side of our yard:

don't ask me WHY, but the builders located the big ugly A/C unit right outside the master bedroom window.
which places it in full view out the window & sliding door of that room AND from the entire backyard.
this was just not acceptable!

to hide that monstrosity, another remnant of the artificial turf left from our yard installation came into play,
along with a piece of currently unused patio furniture that we had - a folding bar.
you saw it used as a potting bench in my 'Garden Bar' post:

without the removable mesh shelves and top that lock the bar into position, it is a simple 'U'shaped' piece,
and i was able to position it to wrap around the air conditioning unit, then drape the turf over it:

 it sits four inches out from the unit, allowing air circulation, and only one side is fully concealed.
zip ties hold the bar in position (we have HIGH winds here) and the turf is heavy enough to stay in place.
when you see it from the rest of the patio, it gives the impression of a green hedge:

that A/C unit? virtually invisible!
we also like how this solution brings a bit more green to this part of the patio -
and that it didn't cost a single penny.

previously, i used those turf remnants to create this grass & flower wall display
remember to think of what you have as having possibilities for use OTHER than intended!

psssssst..... you can see a peek of something on the right side of that last photo.
something that really gives our yard a colorful 'Tiki Punch'

shared online:

the how-to home | project inspire{d} #273