Picture this. You just finished planting your favorite plants in a flower bed. You worked so hard on it, but you know it was worth it because it makes your yard look so good! A couple of days go by and there it is. The grass has crept into your flower bed. The one that you worked on tirelessly in the hot sun. So, now what do you do?
We know that a lot of people have had this situation happen to them before, and we know it is the worst! That’s why we want to give you some tips and tricks on edging you flower bed so that your yard stays looking crisp, clean, and beautiful. But first, let’s talk a bit more about why edging a landscape bed is so important.
As we saw from the scenario, the edging would keep the grass from crawling its way back into your landscape bed, saving all that hard work you put into making it so beautiful. Not only does it protect the bed from grass, but it gives it a nice clean look, helping add to your yards overall appearance. We’ve broke it down into four simple steps for you to follow.
1.) Mark your edge
First things first, you have to mark your edge if you are starting from scratch. Luckily this a pretty simple step. A can of spray paint or even some string would suffice. Marking where you want your edge is important so you have a guide to follow when edging your bed. First, think about how you want your garden bed to look when it’s finished. For example, if you are trying for a soft look, then the edge does not need to be sitting so far out. The best time to edge a garden bed is when the garden is not yet in full bloom so that you won’t damage the plants while working.
2.) Pick a tool
Many tools could be considered an edging tool. Even a weed eater (which is our personal favorite), which might surprise some people. Some edging tools are shaped like a half-moon that glide into the soil. They also go back and forth so they are able to cut through tough soil and/or roots under the ground. If you have an stick edger, that’s great! Check with that tool’s company for their tips on that specific tool and it will help you be able to use it more efficiently. Like mentioned above we like to use weed eaters to edge landscape beds. All you have to do is hold the weed eater as normal, then flip it over and BAM you’ve got an edging tool. We choose to do use the weed eater because not only does it save us time but it helps obtain a clean edge to your bed with ease.
3.) Create and finish the edge
This step explains itself. It’s time to get edging! Use whatever tool you have chosen to begin edging your bed. Follow your mark you made so that the finished product will turn out just how you want it to. If you are using a shovel-like edging tool then push the tool into the soil, and begin to gently pull back to loosen it up. Once you’ve completed that, remove the loosened soil with either a shovel or your hands. Depending on the look you’re going for, you can either use mulch or another type of decorative material to compliment your newly established edge. Our preferred material is mulch because it gives a great backdrop for the plants to stand out! Plus it’s great for weed control. If you’re curious about which mulch to choose just shoot us an email and we’d be more than happy to tell you our favorites!
4.) Maintenance
Some people re -edge every time they mow or others do it as needed. It really just depends what look you are going for. However we would still recommend keeping up with your edged bed monthly. Being consistent with maintenance is important but so is not over doing it. If you have any questions about edging, or if you live on Roanoke Island and are interested in having us edge your bed head over to our “contact” section on our website. Also let us know if you used these steps, we love seeing people happy with their yard, that’s what #mowlife is all about. We look forward to hearing from you!
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