A Step-By-Step Guide For Perfect Lawn Edging

There are few things as beautiful as a perfect lawn edge! If you have ever envied the edge of a neighbor's lawn and wished your own lawn edge looked as straight and perfect, then this guide is for you. The steps should be easy to follow, even if you have never edged a lawn before.

Step 1: Gather the essentials

As with most projects, it is easier to move along when you have everything you need in front of you and don't need to keep running back and forth to the garage. For lawn edging, you will need:

• A can of spray paint or chalk liner
• An edger or a spade-style shovel
• Your weed whacker

Step 2: Mark your line

If you are edging along concrete, you can skip this step as the concrete is your natural guideline. But if you are edging in a flower bed or digging a circle around a tree so you can apply mulch, you will want to mark the line. Make sure you place the line with the understanding that you'll be cutting to the outside of it, basically removing the grass that has been marked with spray paint.

Step 3: Cut a line 2 inches deep

Once you have your line marked, you can push your shovel or edger down along the line's edge. Only push it about 2 inches down; any deeper than this, and you'll end up with more of a pit and less than an edge. Make sure you angle your cut at about 45 degrees and then tilt the shovel or edger up to pop the turf out of the ground. Keep going in a straight line, following your spray paint curve.

Step 4: Peel away the turf

After you've lifted a few feet of tuft, you can bend down and peel the turf up. It's usually easiest to just do this with your hands. Keep spading and peeling until you've completed the whole edge.

Step 5: Weed whack the edges

Once your edge is made, all you need to do is take a weed whacker and knock off any little blades of grass that are overhanging the edge. This will give your edge the tidy appearance you've been after.

Edging a lawn is not that hard, but if you do not have the equipment or time, have no fear! Most landscaping companies readily offer lawn edging among other services.