Every time you see a beautifully landscaped and edged lawn, do you feel a little green with envy? Wonder how they do it—how they get that clean, sleek, line and maybe even more important (and confusing!) than that… how do they keep it that way over time?
It’s no doubt that edging gives a lawn a finished, polished, look. However, it can also serve a functional purpose as well, keeping grass and weeds off of driveways and sidewalks and out of gardens and beds. Because of this dual purpose in terms of the benefits of landscape edging, there can be many different techniques and strategies for landscape edging one can take when creating and maintaining a cleanly manicured, edged, lawn.
Yet, creating an amazing landscape and especially, landscape edge, isn’t just an art that only the best landscape artists can create, it’s a skill that anyone can learn.
All it takes to become a landscape artist yourself is a little time and effort plus the right know-how.
Here are the best practices for landscape edging so you too can do landscape edging right, as easy as ONE, TWO THREE:
ONE: Choose and plan your landscape design.
First, you’re going to want to create a landscape edging style or design that best appeals to you and that will also suit any functional purpose needed or desired. You’ll also want to decide if you want to try and maintain a natural landscape edging or will use a landscape edging product.
Tip: Be sure that if you choose curves or circular designs and wish to incorporate a landscape edging product, the shape of your design will limit the products you can use.
TWO: Start with the best, cleanest, lawn and landscape edge possible.
Next, you’ll want to manicure your lawn and manually create the starting sharp edge with a gas or electric edger.
Tip: When you create your initial landscape edge, remove a wedge of soil that is at least six inches deep. According to Jack Ingels in his book "Landscaping: Principles and Practices,” this, “…prevents the grass from quickly spreading over the gap through root establishment. If desired, this narrow trench can be used as the only edging method around your entire lawn.”
THREE: Now, if you decided to use a landscape edging product, you’ll install the product you chose into your shallow trench.
Most landscape edging products can then be simply inserted into the trench and then you’ll use the soil removed to backfill the trench. You have many choices of landscape edging products as well.
Tip: Be sure to install your desired choice of landscape edging straight up and down. This keeps it standing upright now and standing more secure over time.
That’s really all there is to creating a landscape edge that is sleek and crisp, complementing the hard work evident in your lawn, garden, and even hardscape.
Of course, then you will just need to perform regular maintenance to ensure that you keep the look you’ve worked so hard to attain. However, if you used a landscape edging product, you will find that maintenance easier to do and you also won’t have to do it as often.
One landscape edging product that is easy to install and can help you create and keep a cleanly edged line between your lawn and landscape or hardscape elements is Grass Barrier.
Grass Barrier is an HDPE — high-density recycled plastic — product that comes in a sleek, black, color that works well with pretty much any landscape style and design. Grass Barrier is also 100% pliable so it can create any shape for your landscape edge as well—even curves and completely circular designs. It’s easy to install and can truly last a lifetime.
Check out Grass Barrier today to see how it can make your landscape edging easy and breezy now and for many years to come.