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ATTORNEYS
tify unless you know what you’re looking for, areas, one alternative is using a low-growing
and the damage they cause can be widespread sedum as a lawn space. Sedums are succulent,
and permanent,” if not taken care of in early drought-tolerant plants that grow like weeds
stages, warns Dulio.
Lawns that are subject to a lot of wear and novale, is that “the leaves and stems are fragile
use—which many in residential settings are—
have even more reason for concern. Even light be void of heavy foot traffi c.”
foot traffi c on a frozen or wet lawn can dam-
age root structures and compact the soil, say material wherever possible, given the grow-
the experts. So just as the weather starts to ing desire for usable outdoor space, says Car-
warm and everyone wants to run outside and novale, “we are seeing an increase in interest
play, the lawn is at its most fragile and must be in artifi cial turf.” He explains that this option
protected if the residents want it to be green provides the look of green grass all year round
and lush through summer. As appealing as it “while off ering the benefi ts of being fertilizer-
is to have a grassy expanse for recreation and and chemical-free, pet friendly, easy to main-
relaxation, the more activity on a lawn, the tain, and [a way to] conserve water.”
harder it is to maintain.
For many communities, this has become warns Lindner, so associations looking to “go
more apparent over the course of the corona-
virus pandemic, which necessitated gathering grass lawns as well. Artifi cial turf, he says,
and recreating outdoors to reduce transmis-
sion of COVID. Areas of grass that were meant ature down when being used, [and] must be
to be “ornamental” have taken on diff erent swept and disinfected on a regular basis,” espe-
functions. Residents who might have once ap-
preciated the green from their windows now activity and/or by children.
want to use the areas for everything from aero-
bics to just zoning out. Th e explosion of “pan-
demic puppies” has also increased homeown-
er and shareholder demand for outdoor space dominantly on the roofs, terraces, and court-
to accommodate their pets’ needs … and has yards of city high-rises, where growing grass is
played a part in destroying plants and grasses.
Carnovale, Lindner, and Dulio all say say that artifi cial turf has come a long way
they’ve had an increase in interest from HOA in recent years—looking, feeling, and even
clients who want to add or reconfi gure lawn smelling more like the real thing. It’s not your
spaces since the pandemic. While Dulio’s grandma’s astroturf anymore.
clients are more in the due diligence phase,
“interested in creating new outdoor spaces
and amenities for their communities, but con-
cerned about undertaking new projects at this implications lead some communities to culti-
time,” he says, Lindner sees that, “more people vate lawns that are not as green as the other
are home and want to enjoy their landscapes side of the fence—or are not even grass at all. It
more, thus spending more on their proper-
ties.” He points out that “a well-maintained ey that ornamental grass needs to keep that
property can also increase a home’s value by healthy look; lawns that are meant to be used
15 to 18 percent.”
Even Better Than the Real Thing
Increasingly, a lawn’s limitations—high
maintenance, high cost, environmental im-
pact—are nudging cooperatives and asso-
ciations to consider other types of ground
cover. “More and more clients are looking for
a low-maintenance alternative to traditional
lawns,” says Carnovale. “For lightly traffi cked
and need little care.” Th e caveat, explains Car-
and break off easily, Th e allotted space should
Although landscapers usually prefer live
Synthetic options aren’t maintenance-free,
faux” should factor in the limitations of non-
“must be irrigated to keep the surface temper-
cially when the space is used for high-intensity
QG Floral & Landscape in New York City
installs artifi cial turf for their clients all the
time—one reason being that they are pre-
not ideal or even possible in some cases. Th ey
In Conclusion
While a lush, verdant lawn might always
be appealing as a domestic ideal, its practical
pays to consider the care, resources, and mon-
might fare better with a diff erent type of turf.
n
Darcey Gerstein is Associate Editor and a
Staff Writer for New England Condominium.