They say it takes all kinds of people to make the world go around. One area where that is clearly seen is in home landscaping and gardening. There are so many different varieties of plants, trees, shrubs, and lawn ornaments to satisfy just about any preference, no matter how quirky. Yet would you believe there are people who would prefer no grass or foliage at all?

Owning and maintaining a beautiful garden requires a significant investment of time and money. Nevertheless, for some people, it's an investment that's not really worth it. And in areas where garden sizes are rather small, there are just some people who do not want to spend the time maintaining a garden that is too small to get any real use of. If you find yourself in such a position, there are alternatives to natural grass for sale.

Artificial Turf

Artificial turf is a lot more popular in the States than it is here, but it is catching on in the UK for home applications. If you have a rather small garden, artificial turf can give you the look and feel of real grass with absolutely no maintenance other than an occasional raking to get rid of debris. It is more expensive than real turf, but a lifespan of 20 to 30 years easily lets you recoup your investment.

For very small areas, cutting and fitting artificial turf is no more difficult than working with carpet. If you have larger areas that would require multiple roles of turf, you might want hire an expert to do the installation for you.

Stone and Aggregates

Another option is to replace your grass with crushed stone and aggregates. This is actually a fairly popular choice in warmer weather climates where rainfall is more sparse. Using stone and aggregates requires virtually no maintenance once it is installed, except for maybe pulling an occasional weed here and there. Nevertheless, with proper weed control, even that is usually not necessary.

The major downside to this type of landscaping is a noticeable lack of colour. However, you can get around it by using a number of different coloured aggregates in your mix. You can also add artificial flowers or colourful, decorative stones and lawn ornaments strategically placed throughout the space.

Concrete Patio

A third option is to put down a concrete patio that encompasses your entire property. This is a very utilitarian look, by any standard, so it's not necessarily for everyone. The benefit of the concrete patio is that it also gives you a place to set up outdoor furniture and a barbecue grill for entertaining. The downside is that it does not give the kids a place to run and play.

Sand

Lastly, you could replace all of your natural grass with sand. Doing so would allow you to create your own private beach complete with volleyball net and a chaise lounge or two. This is not the most popular option among those we have listed, but it is still something plenty of people do. The nice thing about sand is that it is very cheap.

Make no mistake about it; you do not have to have grass in your garden if you don't want it. There are plenty of other options to choose from. Just make sure you choose wisely though, because friends and family will have something to say about it.