How to keep your lawn edge neat and tidy
Sometimes, when your garden seems to be in need of tweaking, it just might be an untidy lawn edge that could do with tidying up. Overgrown lawn edges not only result in the appearance of your lawn looking untidy, but also affects the aesthetics of your borders, patios and paths.
Cutting the lawn overgrowth leads to neat edge definition and clear separation of the different elements of your garden layout. Furthermore, clearing the lawn edge from the path or patio will prevent stains caused by the grass.
When should I edge my lawn?
The best time to edge your lawn is before mowing. This way, any debris left behind will be picked up by the lawn mower. You can even use a leaf blower to remove the debris from the paths, patios of borders prior to mowing.
How often should I edge my lawn
We recommend edging your lawn at least once every fortnight, although once a week would be ideal. This will make it easier to keep on the top of your edges and will also ensure a minimum of debris will be left behind.
If you have, for any reason, forgotten to edge your lawn for some time and it has produced seeds, you should remove the off cuts from the border to eliminate further seed germination. It can be easily picked up by a hand and thrown onto the lawn as the lawn mower will dispose of it later.
How to edge your lawn using lawn-edging shears
Lawn-edging shears are the easiest and most efficient tool to use when edging your lawn. Good quality shears are easy to use, and a clean cut is guaranteed when the blades are sharp. Their optimised long handles are designed to undertake the work whilst standing upright, eliminating any additional pressure on your back.
If this tool is new to you, ensure to grip the handles lightly. A tight grip can result in an unwanted motion causing you to cut into the soil or gooff-line. After all, you’ve paid enough money for some quality shears, so you should let them do the work for you.
We recommend using the lawn-edging shears on fine and sophisticated lawns where the appearance matters most. As mentioned above, this is a great tool to provide a very neat finish and a clean cut.
Edging your lawn using a strimmer
Using a strimmer can be a quicker alternative to edging shears, especially in larger areas such as parks, estates, or other areas where the appearance may not be a priority.
However, the use of a strimmer for lawn edging requires a certain level of skill and experience. It is very easy to lose focus and let the strimmers head drop a little. If this happens, the strimming line will cut the grass lower than needed, leaving you with yellow or brown patches along the edge. To achieve the desired results, you should start strimming higher above the ground and gradually lower down the blade.
To cut back the grass blades and stalks growing towards the border or paved areas, you can flip the strimmer by 90 degrees, ensuring the strimming line points down. Some smaller electric strimmers are equipped with rotating heads making it easier to handle the tool. You could also purchase a wheel attachment which will help you to follow the desired line.
We recommend using a strimmer to edge lawns along retaining walls, fences, curbs, or banks.
Tip: when strimming a lawn edge border close to a house, beware of any stones present in the soil. The velocity of flying course material can shatter your windows, or cause an injury to yourself or others. Always wear goggles or a mask to protect your eyes!
Edging your lawn using a spade or half-moon edging spade
Lawn edges can be damaged using machinery such as a mower or scarifier, especially on uneven surfaces. Using the spade to edge your lawn is a good option when you need to straighten the line.
The use of a spade can be beneficial when edging areas around trees. The curve of the spade will help you maintain the curve of the lawn edge easier. Generally, a spade is useful in areas of smaller diameter.
A half-moon edging spade is an excellent tool to straighten edges of larger proportion or the shape of larger borders. To follow a straight line, you could place a plank of wood, such as a deck board on the ground, or you could place some string between two pegs to maintain the line. However, using your best judgement and visualising the line is best practice for the future undertaking of the task.
At times, if unattended, the lawn can find its way onto paved areas. In this case, when straightening, you don’t need to cut through the soil. Usually, it is only the thatch finding its way in. This can be easily removed using an old kitchen knife. The blade of the knife, when pressing against the paving, will help to follow the desired line. This technique is often used when edging newly laid turf.
If you find your garden in a need of an enhancement, edging the lawn could be the answer you are looking for. After all, nothing gives your garden better lift than clear definition and separation of the elements included.
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