How to Edge Flower Beds
A finished, neat edge in between a flower bed and the lawn helps give the lawn a manicured look. Often, hardscapes such as edging define the boundaries between a lawn and a flower bed. Edging also may help to keep weeds from spreading into the flower beds. Edging can range from a simple trench cut into the margins of the flower bed to the installation of rolled plastic, metal strips, poured concrete or stones. Most edging installs in a similar fashion. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Cut a trench vertically into the soil around the margins of the flower beds that is at least 6 inches deep. This places the trench below grass or weeds that spread on runners below the ground. This also makes your edging deeper than the frost line of your soil and prevents frost heave.
-
2
Turn the spade to a 45-degree angle with the tool's handle pointing away from the yard. Insert the spade into the soil of the flower bed and push until the tip of the spade touches the outer wall of the edging trench. Lift the spade to remove the soil so that the flower bed slopes down into the trench.
-
-
3
Cut all roots that stick out into the trench. The soil of the trench should be uniform and smooth.
-
4
Place your edging against the outer wall of the trench. Edging such as plastic rolled or metal fastens together in sections of up to 20 feet with enclosed fasteners. Fiberglass strip edging should overlap by six inches. Brick or cement edging pieces have notches cut into them that can be fitted together.
-
5
Insert stakes through plastic or metal edging, and hammer them into the soil to hold the edging in place. Stone, brick or cement edging typically is heavy and sturdy enough that it does not need stakes to hold it in place.
-
6
Fill in the trench behind the edging with soil. Sift soil into the cracks between the front of the edging and the back of the trench wall.
-
1
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
