Lawn replacement

JenL

I'm looking to replace my small back lawn and I am considering wood chips. It'll cost about £30 to buy the wood chips and I'll also need weed matting. I was wondering if I could maybe get some ideas for alternatives? I don't want gravel or anything too hard as my nephew plays out there when he stays over. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Davesnave

Will your nephew enjoy playing on a surface that might attract cats and what they like to do in easily turned-over surfaces?

Whatever surface you put there, I have a feeling that the main playground at his school will be a hard surface, just like most of those surfaces leading to his home. The advantages of hard surfaces are that they dry out quickly, don't hide unpleasant things and they wear well. Because they're so common, all of us must learn to cope with their down-sides.

I'm just being devil's advocate here. My own children had mainly concrete at home and they survived, but in the area where they had climbing equipment there was grass. Are you going to use this area for that kind of thing?

An alternative to bark chips with fewer disadvantages is artificial grass. However, it needs careful ground preparation, it isn't entirely maintenance-free and it'll set you back more £ to get something that looks decent.

Silvertabby

Davesnave beat me to it - go with wood chips and the local moggies will love you forever for their lovely new litter tray!

If the area is really that small, I would consider flag stones. Easier to keep clean, and easier for nephew to kick a ball about on.

Paula_Smith

Leaving a natural surface such as grass is better for the environment than covering in flagstones. Insects can live in grass, birds and small mammals can eat the insects and worms and so the great circle of life goes on.

andrewf75

I'd stick with grass if you want something soft for kids.