BARGAIN HUNTER: It is ironic in a country renowned for its 40 shades of green that artificial grass is fast replacing traditional lawns and decks. We can't keep up with demand, says Geraldine Mackey of Artificial Grass. (01-287 8404 Artificialgrass.ie) at the Artificial Grass Outhaus Centre, National Garden Exhibition Centre, Kilquade, Co Wicklow. Apartment dwellers love their non-slip Killarney grass, which costs €9.99 per sq m. Measuring 10-12 mm depth it is a fun way to refresh balconies and outdoor terraces. For lawn replacement she suggests the Munster, at 300 mm in depth and four metres in width.

You can cover walls in the green stuff too as the Outdoor Room on Cathal Brugha Street did to good effect. The advantage is no muck carried indoors and there is no burn, explains Mark O’Donohoe of Sanctuary Synthetics (045-901 970 Sanctuarysynthetics.ie) located at 65 Craddockstown Park, Naas, Co.Kildare. His grass comes in all the colours of the rainbow and includes blue, yellow, red, orange, silver, white, black for Goths and pink for girls of a certain age. O’Donohoe’s company has fitted out crèches and schools and says “a guy with a Stanley knife and a bit of imagination can do pretty much anything you want”. He suggests replicating your child’s drawing adding that “simpler shapes work best”. Prices range from €19.50 – €37 per sq m for the grass with their best seller costing €27. If replacing a lawn you will need to lay a hard core and sand base first. This costs €30 per sq m. For all its convenience fake grass is not utterly maintenance free. You have to give it a good brush and power hose once a year.