Garden: Grass or astro?

[BobbyL]

We're moving into our house soon which has an outdoor terrace that leads onto a garden that is roughly 4m by 6m. The garden is shaded by some big trees which means it doesn't get sun on it all day.

 

I have only ever lived in condos here so having a garden is a new one and with the heat I am not too sure about what to do. Would anyone be able to offer any advice on what they think might be the best option, would it be laying a new grass lawn or just going for an easier option of the astro grass?  

 

Thanks. 

[tifino]

 get a test square, and put down where you do get some direct sun...

 

 - leave it for a while, and test how hot it gets, for bare feet?

 

[jimmjam]

Astro personally, alot less work.

[Crossy]

Grass needs to be cut, but looks a lot better than "Astro" which often looks like what it is, plastic grass (and incredibly, it's not all waterproof). You'll need a shade loving turf variety.

 

You might consider paving it and having plants in containers, you can move them around easily and change your outlook. Alternatively use gravel, but you'll need to keep the weeds under control.

 

 

 

[Denim]

14 hours ago, jimmjam said:

Astro personally, alot less work.

 

Yep, for such a relatively small area not worth the aggro of having real grass plus if there is too much shade some grasses don't thrive so you would need to get the right grass for starters.

 

When we had a house in Bangkok with a small garden we decided to do it in a Japanese style with pebbles and plants around a water feature.

 

 

Edited April 5, 2020 by Denim

[timendres]

Personally, I like ferns. Low maintenance and some nice varieties. However, they can be a haven for mosquitoes if that is a concern.

[BobbyL]

Cheers for tips. 

[canopy]

Think perennial peanut, not grass. Hearty, takes foot traffic, stays nice and low for ease of walking, never needs mowed, never needs fertilized. Has an attractive appearance and small yellow flower.

 

 

[Crossy]

3 hours ago, canopy said:

Think perennial peanut, not grass. Hearty, takes foot traffic, stays nice and low for ease of walking, never needs mowed, never needs fertilized. Has an attractive appearance and small yellow flower.

 

Does it make peanuts too?

 

Wazzit look like? Readily available in Thailand?

 

EDIT Looks interesting if you can get it here:-

 

 

 

[canopy]

Perennial peanut is all over Thailand. Thai's often call it "too-uh brazil". You can buy seeds online. Or nurseries sell crates of seedlings. I have it and love the stuff. The most economical is find someone who has it and clip some off. Then just push the ends into the dirt and it grows from there. It doesn't make peanuts but does attract wildlife and has a really strong root system. Keep it watered and it will be green all year round. Otherwise it will take a full dry season and go dormant, but snap right back anytime it rains.

 

[Thailand J]

My vote: Grass.

I bought inexpensive Malay sod, still looks good after many years. Gardener clips it once a month, waters it 3 x /wk.

I applied the blue cheap fertilizer from an outdoor market 2-3 times a yr. Malathion as pesticide.

 

[canopy]

To each his own, but I find the texture and color of perennial peanut far more attractive and natural than blades of grass. The fact perennial peanut is so easy to care for with no mowing, fertilizing, or insecticides are nice qualities. Weeding is also pretty simple. Small areas can be hand pulled if needed. Big areas can run a weed trimmer to knock off any tall weeds out once a month. In both cases the perennial peanut is real good at choking out whatever is left.

 

[Yellowtail]

I like paving stones

[CG1 Blue]

Personally I don't like the general trend towards astro turf. The world is losing enough wildlife habitat without us replacing lawns with plastic. Plus a real lawn looks, feels, and smells so much better than astro, IMHO. The little bit of work tending to it is well worth the effort. 

 

That perennial peanut looks pretty interesting! Mind you, it also looks like it might hide a sleeping snake better than grass. I'd tread carefully walking through that ????