Fake Plastic Trees

No this is not a post about Radiohead, though i would have preferred to wake up with this tune in my head, probably My Iron Lung would have been better if we were going for a track off the Bends, or really actually i would settle for any of their tunes in my head rather than the horror that i did wake up with in my head, Meatloaf!!! (and no, no cider or cheese was involved in this waking musical calamity, it was sheer bad luck)

My parents invested in fake grass. They only have a small patch of grass bordered by cottage garden goodness. It used to be real grass, that battled against the odds and mostly appeared as a scratchy, brown shade of uselessness. So sometime in the not too distant past the folks changed over to the fake variety. It is top notch stuff, proper fake grass. In fact i think they had it the last time i was here but it was winter and i hardly ventured out the back, so through a window haze i did not even notice the difference.


Pros?

* There is a drought on, so obviously plastic doesn't consume water, thus being somewhat environmentally friendly
* No burrs or prickles to penetrate the delicate soles of the feet
* No mowing (which is a definite bonus because my Dad's back is still way too bad to walk short distances, let alone pushing a mower, my Mum gardens but doesn't mow and my brother sleeps 25 hours a day)
* It stays green which is, at least, aesthetically pleasing

Cons?

* It gets REALLY hot in the sun, so those soles of the feet are not really saved
* It's plastic, so really what is it made of and what is it doing to the soil underneath for the future when maybe just maybe someone wants to plant something else there?
* I am supposing there was a significant monetary outlay at the beginning, though this is offset by the fact that no replanting is necessary, at least until it wears down

Can't seem to think of anymore negatives to this garden venture? Anyone got any that i missed?
Although it is a tad sad when ersatz is better than the real thing ...