Design Moment: AstroTurf, 1964

It’s good to touch the green green grass of home, as Tom Jones sings, though maybe not the artificial grass that was invented in the same decade as that song was written.

Originally known as ChemGrass it was invented by Donald Elbert, James Farai and Robert Wright, who worked in the US for Monsanto. The company had been exploring synthetic fibres for carpets and these scientists while extending that work hit on artificial grass and saw its potential for sports grounds where grass maintenance can be expensive and problematic. The fact that it could stay green year-round was a bonus. In 1966 it was first used by the Houston Astros in its baseball astrodome – giving it its patented name and garnering it massive media attention.

It is increasingly seen in Irish gardens, where it is favoured for its no-mess easy maintenance qualities; pity about the bees and other creatures who rely on suburban lawns for food.