How to Use a Border Spade

Border spades are extremely useful for maintaining flower beds and gardens.

Keeping your flower beds and garden looking their best is no easy task; it takes time, energy and the right tools. One particularly useful tool to have handy when working in your flower beds or garden is the border spade. The border spade is similar to a shovel, but instead of a spoon shaped blade with a pointed tip, a border spade has a rectangular shaped blade with a blunt tip.

Things You'll Need

• Border spade

Instructions

Transplanting

1. Place the tip of the border spade in the soil near the plant you wish to transplant. The distance from the base of the plant depends on the plant; eight to 10 inches from the base for perennials or small flowering plants, and up to two feet from the base for shrubs or sapling trees.

2. Stand behind the border spade, so that the border spade is between you and the plant. The slight curvature of the border spade should be facing the plant.

3. Place one foot on the top of the border spade's blade. Most border spades posses a small ledge at the top of the blade specifically for this purpose.

4. Lean forward slightly, shifting your weight to the foot resting on top of the border spade's blade. Keep the blade of the border spade as vertical as possible as you apply weight.

5. Shift the handle of the border spade back and forth just slightly to help the blade of the border spade penetrate the soil. This step may not be necessary if you are working with loose soil, but is necessary if you are working with dry or rocky soil.

6. Apply weight until the entirety of the border spade blade is embedded in the soil.

7. Remove your foot from the top of the border spade's blade and press down on the handle of the border spade, so that the handle tilts away from the plant you are transplanting. You will see the soil rise slightly.

8. Remove the border spade from the soil and position the tip of the border spade next to the cut in the soil you just created. The two cuts should overlap slightly.

9. Repeat Step 1 through 8, working your way around the plant and maintaining the original distance from the base of the plant.

10. Remove the plant from the ground after the circle is complete. If the plant does not come free of the ground easily, repeat Steps 1 through 9, adding more pressure to the handle of the border spade during Step 7.

Borders

1. Place the tip of the border spade where you would like the edge of your flower bed to be. If the edge of your flower bed is extremely uneven, choose a location that coincides with the portion of the edge that is most removed from the flower bed.

2. Stand behind the border spade, so that the border spade is between you and the flower bed. The slight curvature of the border spade should be facing the flower bed.

3. Place one foot on the ledge on top of the border spade's blade.

4. Lean forward slightly, applying pressure and weight to the blade of the border spade. Keep the blade of the spade as vertical as possible for a clean edge. Slanting edges will promote grass growth, while clean edges will deter grass from invading your flower bed.

5. Remove your foot from the border spade and press down on the handle of the border spade, so that the handle tilts away from the flower bed. The unkempt edge of the flower bed will rise slightly or separate entirely from the edge of the lawn.

6. Remove the border spade and reposition it next to your first cut. Repeat Step 2 through 5.

7. Continue working along the edge of your flower bed. Keep your cuts as aligned as possible, and overlapping slightly, for a smooth edge.

8. Use a garden rake to clean up the lawn edge scraps. Remove as much of the grass as possible to prevent further grass growth.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose a border spade that is appropriate to your task. Straight bladed border spades work well for flower bed edges, while slightly curved border spade blades work well for transplanting and small or circular flower beds.

• Trees and well established shrubs may be difficult to transplant and will likely require more than a border spade for removal.

References

• gardening-tools-guide.com: Border Spade
• Neill Tools: Tool of the Week