IN THE GARDEN THE (ARTIFICIAL) GREENING OF AMERICA.

Byline: JOSHUA SISKIN

The first time I drove by the new lawn in North Hollywood, I noticed that it looked a little greener than freshly laid sod normally does. Since the new lawn was situated along the route of my daily commute, I soon started wondering about what struck me as an unnaturally bright green color, even for the best new lawn.

Finally, I had to stop for a closer inspection. It looked real; it felt real. But, in the end, there could be no doubt that this good-size North Hollywood front lawn, spanning several thousand square feet, consisted entirely of synthetic grass.

If you have never seen the new synthetic putting greens and lawn grasses, the idea of artificial lawns will probably conjure up AstroTurf, the tacky green carpet first used in the 1960s in sports stadiums, gas station landscaping, and miniature golf courses. But the new synthetic grass has dense, lifelike blades and a soft feel to it. The blades stay continuously upright through the use of crumb rubber pellets, made of recycled car tires, that are spread over the top of the artificial turf. The new synthetic grass is not a fad.

The argument in favor of synthetic grass trumpets its economy. Once installed, there is no watering, mowing, fertilizing or spraying for weeds. Synthetic grass is also dog proof and may be used as a ground cover in very shady locations, in areas of heavy traffic where nothing will grow, or in children's play areas. Its installation costs four to five times more than a traditional lawn and it takes six to 10 years to recoup the investment involved.

Synthetic grass endures 15 to 20 years; its deterioration is expressed in a dulling of its color.

Although synthetic grass saves water and reduces depletion of valuable water sources such as aquifers, its overall impact on people and the environment is another story. Lawn grass provides a cooling effect in an urban environment. In its absence, more energy would be needed for air conditioning. Birds and other wildlife may not be as abundant in an area where no water is applied. Also, synthetic grass heats up during the summer to the point where you would be reluctant to walk barefoot over it.

The greatest problem with artificial grass, though, is what its acceptance in our lives may signal: the eventual installation of completely artificial landscapes and gardens. As manufacturing and embalming technologies are refined, it will be increasingly difficult to distinguish between artificial or preserved plants and gardens and the real thing.

Is the acceptance of synthetic grass the start - or the next chapter - of a science-fiction nightmare, where the urban landscape is transformed into a panorama of plastic lawns and mummified plants, complete with manufactured scents and, while we're at it, recorded sounds of birds, bumblebees, and waterfalls? Some people have even given it a name: replica landscaping or repliscape.

There are strong budgetary reasons for abolition of the natural landscape, and those reasons, unfortunately, often carry the most weight. As fuel, water and labor expenses increase, municipalities are under increasing pressure to cut costs wherever they can. Elimination of municipal lawns to mow and trees to prune would save millions.

In addition, a strain on water resources has already uprooted lawns throughout the West. Water districts from Las Vegas to Albuquerque to La Canada offer residents cash rebates for removal of turf and, in Lake Arrowhead, it is now illegal to plant a lawn.

For some people, however, the desire to have a green expanse around the house will not come to an end with the demise of the living lawn. Rather than opt for the aesthetically pleasing and life-enhancing alternative of water thrifty native plants, for example, they will prefer to install synthetic grass instead.

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Photo: Artificial lawn looks so much like the real thing, it's hard to tell the difference - but it's much better at standing up to pets.