Guide to Lawn Edging Basics

On its most basic level, lawn edging is simply the line created between two distinct areas of your property. This may be the edge between the driveway and the grass, or the barrier between the grass and a flower bed. Whenever you need a line of demarcation, you have many choices as to how to achieve it.

What you choose to effect your lawn edging will be based on your aesthetic style, your grass type, your budget, and more. Here are some great ideas as to how to proceed.

How to Properly Edge your Lawn

Although edging your lawn is not difficult, staying on top of the job will give your lawn and property a crisp, manicured look. Follow these simple steps:

• A power edger or weedwacker should be used around sidewalks and pathways. Because there is generally no room to dig out around sidewalks and footpaths, power edgers will work the best in this situation. When looking for an edger, go with a light model, as they are easier to wield. For edges that are not so defined, a manual tool may be more applicable.
• Be sure to purchase one or two replacement blades. Edger blades can wear out easily given their tough job. Make sure you ask how to change out the blades if you don’t know how to do so. While buying accessories, pick up necessary safety gear such as googles or eyewear and ear plugs.
• Hold the edging tool level and rigid, keeping your arms still. Moving your body instead of your arms will result in a much straighter cut overall.

Materials for Decorative Lawn Edging

There are many ways to create an edge between two areas of your property. One of the most simple is to use a spade to remove sod in an even line, thus creating a trench between the two sections. While that seems an easy enough proposition, the trench will need to be occasionally re-dug.

One thing to remember is that a lot of the warm weather grasses which we utilize for our lawns in Sarasota and Tampa communities grow by means of stolons and rhizomes. These “creeping grasses” continually cover more ground as the grass grows horizontally. (read more about these grasses here.) Because these grasses will quickly begin to overtake the trench, most people opt for installing some type of barrier as lawn edging.

Paver or Concrete Blocks: These blocks are fairly affordable, easy to install and capable of creating effective borders. However, for homeowners looking for a more natural overall presentation, this may not be a great choice.

Natural River Rock: River rocks, tumbled glass, or Santorini rock are all beautiful elements which can be added to the trench to add a beautiful barrier which allows for water and moisture retention.

Wood: Utilizing wood to demarcate edges only really works with pre-treated wood, as untreated wood will easily rot. However, treated wood may contain chemicals which you wouldn’t want to ingest, so be sure not to use as a barrier around a vegetable garden or around fruit trees that you use for edible produce.

No matter which method you use for setting up edging and boundaries on your property, you will find all of the tools and materials you need at Big Earth Landscape Supply. There is no need to settle for a mediocre lawn – make your home and gardens stand out!