If you are considering re-jigging your garden, some might think winter is not the time to do it. After all, you wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time outside when it is cold, especially after the recent weather that switched from snow to hosing it down with rain.

However, seeing the outside of your house in the worst of conditions can be very instructive in showing you what you need to do to make improvements. Drainage can be one case in point, as heavy rain will show if you have a major problem that needs addressing, but another concern is the question of whether to have a real turf lawn or use artificial grass.

Some people will love the idea of the latter as a natural and organic thing that provides a habitat for wildlife and a place for kids to play, but there is an obvious problem if the grass does not grow properly due to a lack of sunlight.

This time of year is ideal for assessing that, as the shortest days approach. In December, the day length at Manchester’s latitude drops below seven and a half hours, while the sun never gets much more than 12 degrees above the horizon.

Not only does this mean there is less sunlight per se, but the low sun means that there are many more areas in shade, even on the south side of the building, which is the only side to get direct sun in winter. There will be almost none to the east and the west side of the building, while the north will only get any direct sunlight in the middle of summer.

This situation can be made worse by the fact that the sun may be blocked by evergreens, as well as buildings and other objects that will hide the low sun. As a result, many a lawn will spend so much time in shadow that the grass will not grow well. 

As an example of this, you only have to think of a pitch at a top football club these days: Whereas in the past, midwinter pitches would become quagmires and players would slide around in the mud, now they look like billiard tables, even in December and January.

This is possible because clubs can spend lots of money on artificial light systems that can be used all night to help with photosynthesis. But this is not something the average householder can do, which is why a lack of natural light can be an unsolvable problem.

Of course, artificial grass does not need to photosynthesise and this is one of the real advantages it has: it will maintain a consistent colour and quality throughout the year, in all weathers and no matter how much natural light it gets.

Of course, you don’t have to put down artificial grass everywhere. You may find that there are areas outside your house, especially south-facing, that fare well because they can get the natural sunlight all year round. If you mix that with artificial grass in other areas, you can focus more on looking after one area of natural lawn while not having to worry about the rest.