The Many Benefits of Lawn Edging

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Driving up and down the street, it is easy to tell which lawns are good and which ones are great. What is it that separates a good lawn from a great lawn? One thing to consider, is how clean the edges on the lawn are. Lawn edging is the best way to take your lawn from a good lawn to a great one. There is just something so satisfying about nice and clean cut lines. If you don’t already edge your lawn frequently, you should consider adding it to your lawn care routine. There are so many benefits that come from lawn edging that you may not have considered. This article will go over some of those benefits. Hopefully after learning about all these benefits, you will be inspired to go out and edge your lawn this weekend. Let’s get started!

Curb Appeal

Adding curb appeal to your property is probably the biggest benefit of lawn edging. It is definitely the most noticeable benefit. Curb appeal, is how people perceive your home and garden. If you want your lawn to be the best on the block, than having a well edged lawn is a must! The visual contrast between the bright green lawn next to rich brown earth from flower beds is definitely appealing. It adds focus to the design of your flower beds. It can also give the effect that the grass is thicker due to the defined edges. A little lawn edging goes a long way. It doesn’t have to just be fancy lines around your flower beds. It can simply consist of clean edges near the sidewalk, driveway, or walkway. The visual effect is still the same. Your lawn will be turning your neighbors heads from your increased curb appeal!

Easy to Maintain

The good news is that edging your lawn does not need to be labor intensive or time consuming. It may take a while the first few times. However once you have established your lawn edges, they are relatively easy to maintain and upkeep. Adding a physical border, such as brick or stone, can cut back on your time spent working even more. You don’t even need to edge your lawn every time you mow. Once a month, or more if you feel it’s needed, is all it takes to keep your edges looking good. This means that your precious time to work outside can be spent working on other projects. The added benefit of the extra free time that was previously spent doing yard work is small but significant. The possibilities are endless. Soon your home and garden will be worthy of Pinterest in no time.

Provides a Root Barrier

Defining a clean cut line on your lawn does more than add curb appeal. It can actually benefit the health of your lawn and flower gardens. When you create an edge between your lawn and your flower garden it acts as a root barrier. This prevents the grass from growing into the flower garden. It is important to prevent this because the root system from your lawn can take over the flower bed. This can prevent your flowers from putting down strong roots. If your flowers don’t have strong roots then they won’t be able to receive adequate water and nutrients from the soil. When your flowers are no longer competing with grass roots for water they will grow stronger and healthier. It also prevents flowering plants from spreading and growing in your lawn.

Prevents Unwanted Foot Traffic

Not only does lawn edging provide a physical barrier between your lawn and garden, but it can add a visual barrier. The visual barrier is a benefit because it can stop unwanted foot traffic crossing over from your lawn into your garden. The clear line between lawn and garden is an easy way to show your guests where they are welcome to walk. More importantly, it helps them  see where they should not be walking. This is especially helpful when your flower beds are located near paths or walkways. Eliminating unwanted foot traffic eliminates unnecessary soil compaction.This will lead to healthier soil and healthier flowers. After you cut an edge, you may even wish to add a physical border to increase the separation. These can be made of brick, stone, or even rubber.

Helps Contain Dirt and Mulch

Lawn edging is also useful when trying to contain mulch or dirt. Some flower gardens can be slightly raised above the lawn. These types of flower beds have a gentle slope built in from the flower bed to the lawn. It is easy for your soil to gradually work its way out of the flower bed and into your lawn, distorting the lawn edges. Having a crisp and neat line separating the garden from the lawn can help keep the top soil in your garden. This is also helpful when you have a playground or swing set with mulch or wood chips. Having a physical barrier added to the lawn edge also helps contain dirt or mulch.  Those physical barriers also help prevent weeds and unwanted grass to creep up into the flower beds. This benefit makes clean and beautiful, clearly defined sections in your yard.

Helpful Tools for Lawn Edging

With so many benefits to lawn edging it would be silly not to keep clean lines on your lawn. There are a few tools that can help you edge your lawn quick and painless. There are two types of edgers you can use to edge your lawn: power edgers and manual edgers. While manual edgers may be more labor intensive, they are highly efficient and easy to use. Power edgers can come in lots of different varieties. They are powerful and quick, which makes the work easier. Once you have established your lawn edge lines, string trimmers are a great way to maintain those lines. The first time you create edge lines in your line, consider using a string or even your garden hose as a template. You may also find a hand trowel useful in digging away excess lawn once the lines have been cut.

In Conclusion

There are so many benefits to your home and garden when you choose to edge your lawn nicely. The visual effect alone is stunning and can quickly elevate the look of your lawn. It is an easy backyard project you can accomplish in one afternoon. However if you prefer not to get your hands dirty, lawn edging is a service many landscaping companies offer. Once your lawn edges are established, they are quick and easy to maintain. I hope you have learned a little more about the many benefits of lawn edging.  

Related Article: Best String Trimmer-The 10 Best Choices and our Top Pick

1 comment
  1. It’s interesting that you point out that edging your lawn can help improve your property’s curb appeal. I want my yard to look fantastic, so I’m thinking about buying a lawn edger to use on my grass. I’m going to search for a good business in my area that can sell me a lawn edger.

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