Spending just 20 minutes of your day in your garden will significantly reduce stress levels and thus contribute to your happiness! There are a number reasons why spending time in your garden can reduce stress, but some of the key points are that the vitamin D exposure that comes with being outdoors makes us feel great physically, which in turn improves our mental wellbeing, while getting outside also helps to reduce cortisol, which is the hormone linked to those sweaty palms, mental fogginess, and high heart rate we all feel during times of stress.

Many people find comfort in nature when they interact with animals, friends, and family. Being outdoors can also help people in making new connections. Even if it’s just inviting the neighbour round for a cup of tea, being outdoors and enjoying the fresh air promotes a calm, relaxed atmosphere, perfect for conversation. Perhaps you’ve got an old decking or paved socialising area that you want to add a little vibrancy to? Look no further than our artificial grass installations – we’ve got just the thing.

With the recent shift for many towards a more work-from-home-based lifestyle, we’re now making use of our gardens more than ever. There’s nothing like relaxing and de-stressing on your lunch break in the comfort of your own artificial grass garden… Close the laptop, and take a moment for yourself.

In fact, on a nice afternoon you could even take your work outside for a few hours – there’s nothing like the fresh air and sunlight to give you a little perspective on things.

Now, it’s no secret that for many the garden is usually the last part of the house to be revamped and modernised, and this customer’s garden was no exception. After years of neglect, we came in to spruce it up with some of our premium artificial grass and we couldn’t wait to get our hands on it!

For the artificial grass, we recommended Exbury Bright. This artificial lawn is both soft and hard-wearing, making it the perfect play surface for children and the pooch of course! Its slightly shorter, 30mm pile height makes it easy to clean up after pets and prevents the grass flattening from high foot traffic caused by running kids and stampeding dogs. It’s in the name, but Exbury Bright is a bright, fresh, and vibrant coloured artificial lawn which worked perfectly in brightening up the once dark and dull garden to create a bright, airy feeling garden.

The vibrant colour and density of the Exbury Bright artificial grass is what drew the customer towards this synthetic turf, which we used to create this lovely, low-maintenance garden for our busy customer.

Only 38% of pubs and restaurants in England have outdoor space to trade. So, when the government announced that these already hard-hit establishments could reopen, but only offer outdoor service, many landlords were forced to think outside the box to keep their businesses afloat.

Not to be beaten, this hardworking sector wasted no time in reinventing their outdoor spaces. Car parks were transformed into garden dining areas, disused garden areas were converted into bubble-friendly drinking zones, and old storage areas were used to provide as much extra seating as possible.

As one of the UK’s leading suppliers of artificial grass, we were among other national suppliers of outdoor products who helped design and create inviting, much-needed outdoor spaces to welcome customers and drive business to this sector once again.

The Cliff House is an independent restaurant with a bar and rooms, located just outside the New Forest in Barton on Sea. It sits right on the cliff top with far-reaching views of the Isle of Wight and panoramic views of the Solent. This location is idyllic in the summer months however during the colder month’s customers are usually inside snuggled up by a roaring log burner. With the government’s guidelines preventing this The Cliff House erected a marquee to seat customers and we installed 100m² of our Exbury Bright artificial grass on top of their graveled parking area. Exbury Bright is a hard-wearing, vibrant green, densely thatched grass and as a busy family pub, its great likeness to real turf made it the perfect choice for both animals and children.

The Carters Arms in Wilmslow has recently had new owners who had plans to put the fun back into pub life with live music, karaoke, cask ales, and cold lagers. With the restrictions and strict government guidelines being adhered to the new management installed 120m² of Elise artificial grass at the back of the premises. Expecting a heavy footfall, this medium pile grass offers high-density coverage and works perfectly in high-traffic areas and commercial buildings. The initial investment has definitely paid off as The Carters Arm is an excellent fan zone for families and fans of football who flooded to it to enjoy the Euros.

When Danny Storey of Discover Landscapes was introduced to Butterwick Hospice in Stockton he saw first-hand the amazing team of doctors, nurses, and therapists at Butterwick who provide 24-hour on-going care. The extensive care programme includes the management of symptoms and pain relief, end-of-life support, respite services, a variety of complementary therapies, and bereavement care, amazingly this support is offered completely free of charge to patients and their families.

We were more than happy to donate one of our most popular products, Exbury Bright, a densely thatched, deep luxury pile grass that is perfect for high traffic. Although hard-wearing, the grass is still super soft and perfect for the patients and families of the hospice. Danny then had no trouble recruiting volunteers for installing the artificial grass from his great team and the garden was quickly transformed.

There are lots of plants that look festive throughout winter, whether through their flowers, berries or leaves. Here are some of our favourites:

• Wintergreen is a low-spreading hardy evergreen with large red berries and red-tinged leaves, perfect for informal garden beds.
• Winter-flowering pansies are ideal for adding a variety of colour, as they are available with yellow, maroon, white or purple flowers. They’ll only falter in the very worst weather, but they will recover and continue until spring.
• Clematis Jingle Bells is an evergreen climber that flowers in winter and early spring with pale yellow or white bell-shaped flowers.
• Holly and ivy are traditionally very Christmassy plants, and they certainly give a festive feel to any garden.
• Potted conifer trees are perfect as well as they instantly evoke a Christmassy feel.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a bit of extra sparkle, and that applies to the garden as well.

If you’ve got trees, consider adding a string of fairy lights wrapped around the tree trunk. Keep them low-intensity in a warm white, yellow or amber, and turn them off when you don’t need them. This will minimise their impact on the local wildlife.

Buy a pack of baubles or ribbons in one colour (check that they’re suitable for outdoor use) and hang them on any bare trees. It’ll add a little bit of life and festive cheer to leafless plants.

Wreaths always look particularly Christmassy. Hang them on the shed door, on your back door, on any structures and on the sheds.

Lanterns are very versatile as they can be used throughout the year, but for winter, you could fill them with holly, ivy and a pillar candle for a festive look.

Finally, what would Christmas be without Mistletoe? Although February to March is the best time to start growing your own, decorating your garden with a little shop-bought will undoubtedly add some festive cheer.

If your space is too restrictive to lay grass or flower beds, you can still add colour to your garden using potted plants. The pots can be filled with a huge variation of plants, from little flowers to big, tall trees. You can even paint your plant pots to add further vibrancy and life to the space. Opt for perennials that you can divide, such as geraniums. Before planting, pull the geranium apart into two or three plants, and plant them separately. Next year when they’re grown, you can pull those plants apart too. It’s a good way to keep costs down but still have a lovely set of flowers.

You could think about using railways sleepers, like these ones from Lawsons, to add low border walls. Not only do these look great around your flower beds, they also double up as a lovely little seating area; handy if you don’t have room for furniture. They’re very versatile too. They can be used to create a rustic feel if they’re chunky with a weathered finish, but they can also look sleek if they’re neat, sanded and varnished or stained.

Sheds take up a huge amount of space in a garden, so you might want to consider something a little smaller. There are many different options available when it comes to storage, from chests to shelving to slimline sheds. Consider what you might need to store and pick an appropriate solution for your needs.