Room for improvement
Earlier this week I went to see a new client about her lawn. When they moved into their house a year ago, the grass was lush green. Now, one year later, she emailed me after finding me on Google; and I could sense the frustration from her sentences. And she isn’t the only one; having a lush green lawn takes a lot of work.
While this blog post isn’t about lawns, let’s review quickly. If you want a good looking lawn, you must water it properly, fertilize it and cut it at the proper height. Many homeowners cut their lawns too low which means that weeds aren’t shaded out and the lawn dries up easily.
Now, back to bed edges.
When I talk to new clients I like to suggest improvements as I go. Sometimes people agree with me and it turns into a tidy upsell. Just like the bed edges at this client’s place. Take a look.
Tired bed edges
Personally, I detest edges like this. They lack sharp definition between the lawn and bed which means that the lawn just keeps on advancing. It also makes it difficult to do lawn care: you are risking bark mulch collisions with mowers and trimmers.
The key middle step you must take
Before you reach for your edging shovel (the one with a flat bottom) you must get the bark mulch out of the way. If you don’t, you risk messing it up by covering it in dirt. Check out how I did it.
I pushed the bark chunks out of the way and then I deep edged the bed. Remember to do it at ninety degrees so the edge is sharp. This will make it easier for you to line trim the edge later.
Also, if you find that there is a lot of excess soil, feel free to reuse it somewhere else in your garden.
Once the edge is re-established, gently pull the bark chunks back.
Now go back to the before picture and compare it. It’s a nice, quick upgrade and it made me a little bit of cash. Next we’ll fix the client’s lawn before the season ends.
Conclusion
If you have tired bed edges, all you need is an edging shovel with a flat bottom. Peel any existing mulch out of the way and edge your bed at ninety degrees. If you find there is a lot of excess soil, remove it. In the final step, peel back your mulch.
Your edge should last for months and it will make your lawn care work easier.
