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Outdoor spaces are taking on more importance as homeowners concentrate on adding amenities that make their lives more comfortable, convenient and low-maintenance.

For some, that means fire pits, fireplaces or even outdoor kitchens.

For others, it means homebuilding and lawn design materials that allow them to relax without worrying about a lot of maintenance issues.

A new Greensboro company is looking to attract the latter with the synthetic grasses it distributes. Though popular in the drought-starved West, artificial turf isn’t the first choice for many in the mostly verdant East.

But the owners of GreenCreation, which sells more than 30 varieties of TigerTurf grasses, wager customers will be attracted by the products, which look like the real thing but don’t require irrigation to thrive and need little upkeep.

Gary Bradley, vice president of sales and marketing for GreenCreation, said the company officially launched in late April and already has installed the products at homes, businesses and sports fields in Greensboro, Asheville, Figure Eight Island and Pennsylvania.

Traditionally associated with sports fields, synthetic grasses are available from major home supply stores and are recommended for hard-to-landscape areas and for surfaces populated by pets because when properly cleaned the grass isn’t damaged by animal waste.

While “you’re not just going to put that product in a two-acre field,” it is appropriate for use around pools and areas difficult to reach with a lawn mower, said Tim Dixon, co-owner of Plymouth Hardscapes and Designs in Greensboro. The company has worked on local installations for GreenCreation.

Dixon, who has 24 years of experience in the landscaping field, said the type of grass used depends on the landscape design desired as well as sports uses and animal inhabitants.

Even though it’s not something people are typically aware of, Dixon thinks artificial grass could grow in popularity because it’s low-maintenance, drains easily and saves on irrigation costs. For example, the products GreenCreation sells drain up to 25 inches per hour, according to its Web site.

The cost savings is in the long run, however, as the products are not inexpensive. Installation fees vary depending on the product chosen and size of the area to be covered. The GreenCreation Web site uses an example of a 1,200-square-foot space to show cost differences. Artificial grass installation would cost $9,600, more than twice the investment of installing natural grass in an area of the same size, according to its model. (And both are many times greater than the cost of planting grass, with prices for grass-growing kits from major online suppliers costing less than $100.)

But the thousands of dollars poured into upkeep such as irrigation, fertilizer and equipment would make the difference in the long run, Bradley said.

While it’s not a major force in the Southeast, the industry is growing overall, according to said Annie Costa, executive director of the California-based Association of Artificial and Synthetic Grass Installers. There are no solid numbers, but she estimates there has been a 15 percent to 20 percent annual growth in the industry. The industry’s success “is based on the locality and the acceptance of the products and their use.”

Costa suggests homeowners interested in the products first choose a dependable contractor who will use reliable products. Then how you use them is up to you.

“You can be creative with it,” Costa said, adding that the artificial grasses can be used to design a play area or recreation spots such as a putting green, hopscotch surface, trolley path or even a checkerboard. “It’s not limited to making it look just like a lawn.”

While the grasses are low-maintenance, they are not maintenance free. The products need to be rinsed with water and groomed with a broom or rake as needed.

Costa said artificial turf creates a “perfect blow and go lawn” solving the problems of high-traffic areas. The “grasses themselves are so durable,” she said. “They last 10 to 15 years, even on a football field. On a lawn, they could last 15 to 20 years, if taken care of.”

Though some may have a hard time transitioning from something natural to manmade, Bradley thinks artificial grass provides “a real, viable alternative to natural grass” that allows homeowners to have a nice-looking lawn that doesn’t have to be fertilized, watered, manicured or mowed.

The bottom line for Costa is ease. Her yard in California is about 5,000 square feet and she said she spends only two hours, twice a year on the upkeep.

“I’m a gardener. I spend the time on my gardens and not my lawn.”