If you’ve ever looked at a professionally-designed garden online, you’ll have noticed something: they always have beautiful edges for their borders. Having well-defined lines is critical to completing the garden’s look and helping it make visual sense. The boundaries between the grass and your beds are like the frame for a painting. They help to encapsulate the artistry within.
So how do you create the perfect lawn? What are the secrets?
Step 1: Redefine The Edge
Most people already have gardens with edges of sorts between their lawns and their borders, but nature has a way of loosening them. Eventually, the grass falls over the side, and tunnelling insects, like worms, alter the shape.
The first thing to do is to find the right tool for the job. Usually, you’ll want a half-moon edger (or a border spade). Start at one end of the piece of lawn you want to edge and then move along, pushing down on the tool to create a defined wall of mud. You’ll notice that excess turf falls into the bed and looks messy. Don’t worry about this now: just keep moving along, creating a bed with the shape that you want.
If you don’t want to do edging manually, you don’t have to. Some companies, like Black and Decker, make powered edgers that use blades mounted to wheels. As the blade spins, it cuts into the grass, removing excess soil with ease, preventing you from getting backache.
Step 2: Get Rid Of The Excess Turf
The next step is to remove the excess turf. Usually, the only way to do this is to place a spade underneath and detach it from the soil below. If you go down four to six inches, removing the excess dirt is much easier. Too shallow, and the root of the grass will make breaking up the ground more challenging.
Remember, when edging, the goal should be to achieve a 90-degree angle between the side of the lawn and the bed, as this creates the most impact, visually.
Step 3: Use Hand Shear To Shape The Edge
Even once you’ve removed the excess turf, your job isn’t over. Use a pair of hand shears to cut away any excess grass at the side of the lawn. You’ll often find that some blades of grass naturally hang over into the bed, affecting the attractiveness of the landscaping.
Make sure that you hold the shears horizontally. Cutting at an angle can damage the lawn.
Step 4: Reseed
Not all species of grass thrive near edges. For that reason, seed vendors, like The Grass People, suggest you buy specific varieties depending on where you intend the grass to grow.
Step 5: Put Mulch In The Bed
Finally, you’ll want to add a layer of mulch to the bed. Mulch suppresses weed growth and helps to ensure that your lawn remains defined over the long term. Adding a gentle slope between the edge of the lawn and the centre of the bed improves the visuals dramatically.