With the fabulous weather we had over the weekend, I have been thinking a lot about our yard.  Our yard is a mess.  First, it is the size of a postage stamp.  Second, it consists of a cracked concrete patio with very old planters around the perimeter.  We never use it – ever.

In our prior homes, I was lucky enough to have large yards with mature gardens; a luxury in San Francisco.  When we moved into our new home we decided we cared more about the house and less about the outdoor space.  But, I would love to turn our cracked-concrete, postage stamp into a well manicured yard.  We have enough space for a patio area, seating, a grill, and some grass.  Here are some of the images that are inspiring me.

Image courtesy of francotechnogap.com

Image courtesy of HGTV.com

One thing that is always a challenge for us is growing grass.  We get a lot of fog in our neighborhood, and the surrounding buildings create a lot of shade.  Not exactly perfect grass-growing conditions.

Recently, however, we have been thinking about buying fake grass.  Artificial turf, to be precise.  Good friends installed it a couple years ago and it looked great.  There are a lot pros – obviously there is the aesthetic – we would have a green lawn all year.  But, we would also be able to use less water (no watering required), there would be less dirt tracked into the house, we would spend less on gardeners, and generally have less maintenance.  Seems perfect, right?  But, I am still not sure if I am totally convinced.  There is a teeny-tiny part of me that wonders if I can live with fake grass?  Will I feel like a fraud?  I don’t know.  I think I am willing to compromise my botanical morals for year-around green grass, but I am curious, what do you think?  Would you use artificial grass in your backyard?