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George

12 June 2024, 18:15

  • GB

Verified

First impressions

We installed turf in our garden last autumn and now here are our first experiences and feedback. Overall, it's a positive addition, but there have been some issues. Was motivated to a wildflower look, seeking to break away from the tyranny of the front lawn. The installer did an excellent job preparing the ground and laying the turf. The first flowers were a dense carpet of violet at about 30-40cm tall. It was a magnificent sight that caught the attention of all the neighbourhood. The second wave is of very tall daisies (well over 1m) and some tall grasses. For the location they are (front of the house) they may perhaps overwhelm the garden. Some of the grasses (?) induce hay fever symptoms. Waiting to see if there is a third phase later in the summer / early autumn. The turf rests on a dense plastic (?) net and in all seems very successful in suppressing weeds, but that has also meant that (expensive) tulip bulbs that were scattered under it never made it through. The installer reassured us that tulips will come through, but evidence suggests that if laid properly, nothing will. I'm curious if the underlying plastic net is biodegradable or if it will litter the garden for the next 1000 years... Overall, net and turf are very tough to cut through, if - say - you want to plant something. So, the general impression is positive for the turf, with the observation that unless you do want to hide behind mega-daisies and grass, perhaps you should not plant it in front of the house. In that respect, it'd be ideal for a more remote place in the garden that you may want to be pleasing to the eye from afar. On the other hand, customer experience with the company has been negative. They do not provide any meaningful customer support; they are only geared towards attracting new installers. Registration on their site is for companies only, and any newsletters that are sent are only geared for "trade". If you need to find how you can care for their product is a dead-end. Also we have no idea which type of turf was installed, and how long it will last... The installer seemed to have only a rudimentary knowledge of the product and its aftercare. So, if you want to be the envy of the neighbourhood do plant it in front of the house. It will also attract numerous bees, insects and birds, and you will be hearing the humming noise of bees all day long:-)

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Ruth Ward

20 May 2024, 20:18

  • GB

Very disappointed

We paid an awful lot of money for nearly 200 m² of wildflower turf 3 years ago. Unfortunately we really regret our purchase and feel that we wasted a lot of effort and money. Even though we had professionals clear and prepare the area and followed all of the instructions that were given to us, it hasn’t looked anything like we expected. The first year we were told to give it 12 months for it to establish and it should look better next year. Then last year we were told maybe if we do an additional chop it might help. This year I was told I need to pull out all the weeds (sticky weed & nettles) by hand which is an impossible task considering the amount we have and the steep slope it is on. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with the product and I’m sure there are a lot of other happy customers but we are not one of them and we really regret our purchase. I really wish we had just left our lawn to grow and scattered a few wildflower seeds amongst it as it would’ve looked 100 times better than the weed patch we currently have. Also, just to let you know that they advertise the green plastic mesh as degradable. Although three years on and it still looks exactly the same and is a real nightmare to try and pull out of the ground. We assumed it would be gone after a couple of years, but when I asked, they said they don’t actually have a timescale for when it will finally degrade. Could be 50 years for all I know. You’re supposed to rake the meadow after cutting which just rips up the plastic mesh as it’s so visible. Looks such a mess we’ve decided to rip the lot out and start again. What a waste of money.