Many families assign lawn and garden care tasks to members of the family. As dad stays inside and watches the ball game big brother mows the lawn, mom and sis work on the garden and little brother does the edging.
Of course, the mowing and gardening are the featured assignments. Those are the jobs that come to mind when thinking of landscape maintenance. Many people may consider edging as an afterthought. Actually, edging is a very important part of lawn maintenance and helps to present the lawn as a manicured work of art. It adds value to your property and offers a clean boundary.
Using a Trimmer
Of course, a major tool to achieve a good edging result is the edger or trimmer. We’ve done stories on how to select and maintain an edger and urge you to take a look at them.
A good example of edging with a trimmer along a walkway.
(Courtesy: David Crowell at flickr.com)
Some things you need to keep in mind before powering up the edger include safety. It is advised that the edger of the family wear long pants and glasses or goggles to guard against injury. You may also want to include earplugs to protect the ears. Some edgers have been known to generate as much as 85 decibels of sound and that may be loud enough to damage hearing.
When edging, point the blade between the edge of the curb, sidewalk or driveway and the grass. Take care when working around trees, mailboxes, flowerbeds and other obstacles because you could damage something if you hit it. Moreover, the contact will wear down the edger blade.
Dig a slight trench between the lawn and curb, driveway and sidewalk to present a sharp edge.
Throw the cut grass and weeds away in a garbage can or lawn bag.
Highlight Boundaries with Edging Material
Another form of edging is more creative. That is when you separate the lawn from the garden or lawn from walkway using a specific type of material. That could include stone, plastic, gravel, metal, concrete pavers or brick.
Brick is an ideal material for edging flowerbeds.
(Courtesy: Chad Livingston of A Better Edge at flickr.com)
Wood is considered a great edging material because it is natural. However, it lasts for about 10 years or so, even when treated.
Concrete or brick pavers may be a better alternative to wood because they basically last forever and will give the edging a formal, professional appearance.
Steel and aluminum are ideal for withstanding the elements. So you don’t have to replace them very often. Steel comes in a variety of colors. However, it could provide some injury issues because the edges could be sharp. Moreover, steel can rust. Aluminum is lighter, easy to work with, and won’t rust.
Plastic used for edging commonly is offered in rolls or in fence styles. What makes plastic so good for this application is because it is flexible and will bend to the shape of a flowerbed or path. It is available in an assortment of thicknesses. The heavier the plastic is, the more durable and less likely to lose its shape.
The great thing about edging is you can be creative. You can use just about anything you want to create boundaries. People have been known to use seashells, bottles, roofing tiles and other unique materials.
Edging can make a tree more of a vocal point.
(Courtesy: Chad Livingston of A Better Edge at flickr.com)
Be creative when constructing your lawn’s edges. They don’t have to be straight and square.
Before placing the edging it is advised that you cut a clean edge between the lawn and whatever it is you are edging. This creates a border, which has a manicured, clean appearance. In order to create a straight cut, use a flat piece of wood, string or garden hose as a guide.
You can simply place the edging where you want it to go and pound it into the ground using a hammer. However, if installed in this manner it will ultimately pop out. Another way to install is to dig a 4-inch to 5-inch trench and use your marker as a guide. Put the edging material into the trench with enough sticking out so the border can be noticed, yet the lawn mower can travel over it. About a half inch above the soil should suffice. Use the soil you dug up or mulch to fill in the trench around the edging.
