Cleaning Up Your Own Backyard

Everything You Need To Know About Edging Your Lawn

by Warren Garcia

Keeping your yard looking neat and tidy is every homeowner's goal. One of the easiest ways to do this is with low-maintenance lawn edging. 

What is lawn edging?

Lawn edging is when you dig a small, but defined trench between the grass of your lawn and your garden beds. The goal is to keep the grass contained on its side and the mulch in your garden bed contained on the other. You want a crisp line of demarcation. A trench should be dug only a few inches deep to get the job done.  

Is lawn edging good for your lawn?

While lawn edging does nothing for the overall health of your lawn, it does help your garden beds. Keeping grass out of perennial beds limits the amount of time you will have to spend removing it by hand. Grass grows quickly and can choke out tender perennials over time. 

How often do you have to edge your lawn?

How often you have to edge your lawn depends on what part of the country you live in and what type of grass you have. Bermuda grass grows incredibly fast and needs to be edged fairly often. Centipede grass, on the other hand, known for its dense, thick turf as well as its slow growth habits, only needs seasonal edging. 

Is it better to edge or mow first?

It is better to mow your yard before edging it. Doing so allows you to see where the lawn is infringing on the edge that you created. After mowing, you can use an edger tool to reinforce the edge. 

Do you need lawn edging to use mulch?

While it is not mandatory to use edging when you apply mulch to your garden beds, it does hold everything in place better. The trench that you create when you edge helps prevent the mulch from washing out of the bed every time it rains. 

What is the best lawn edging material?

While a natural edge is preferred by most homeowners, some people like to install an edging material for aesthetic purposes and to help maintain the edge without the need for an edger tool. Edging materials can run the gamut from strictly utilitarian plastic edging to highly decorative brick pavers, and everything in between. 

Edging your lawn and using materials to reinforce that edging both keeps your yard looking tidy and boosts your home's curb appeal. Contact a lawn edging company for more information.

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