Lawn edgesare useful wherever the lawn borders flower beds. Their task is to limit the overgrowth of grass between plants and to maintain a constant line of beds. Seehow to separate the lawn from the rebate , learn about the advantages and disadvantages of individual solutions and choose the bestlawn edgethat will work in your garden. Here is a step-by-step guidehow to make a lawn edgethat will be durable, functional and aesthetic!
Lawn edging can be made of bricks or tiles
Which lawn edge to choose?
The way to separate the lawn from the beddingmust match the style of the entire garden. Therefore, it is important that the material that we use for the lawn edges should be compatible with the existing architectural elements in our garden.
It is worth thatthe lawn edge should be durable , resistant to unfavorable weather conditions and mechanical damage. Natural stones and concrete elements are the most durable. Unlike plastic edgings, they will not be damaged during mowing. They also do not require impregnation, as is the case with wood.The edge of the lawnshould be made of a material that is airtight enough to limit the growth of grass. It must also not obstruct the mowing of the lawn.
The durability of the lawn edgeis greatly influenced by the way in which we attach it. The elements can be arranged rigidly (this is how stone blocks or paving stones are usually placed) or loosely (edging made of field stones or gravel).Loosely positioned rim elements may move as a result of accidental bumps and will need to be corrected frequently. Therefore, if the lawn edge is to be used for many years, it is worth laying it rigidly. In turn,arranging the lawn edgeloosely has the advantage that we can easily move them, changing the layout of the rebate together with new ideas for the arrangement of the garden. It is therefore a solution for those gardeners who like to change something in the garden every now and then.
In gardening stores and DIY stores we can buyready-made plastic lawn edges(tapes, slats, fences), concrete palisades and wooden rollborders. The wide edges are the most effective. We can create them using boulders, stones, bricks, railway sleepers, granite cubes or concrete slabs. We can also buildlawn edges from coarse gravelor crushed stone. If you do not want the edge to be visible, chooseplastic or metal bands , which are thin and can be easily hidden under a layer of garden bark or other bedding material.
Lawn wood edging
If you are looking for a fully flexible lawn edge, it is worth paying attention to the band sold under the namelawn expansion tapeMade of plastic, flexible expansion tape is so comfortable that even if it protrudes slightly above the ground, the mower can be driven on it without any obstacles. In addition, it can be installed along an already made lawn and rebate. It is enough to make a sufficiently deep cut along the line of the bed with a spade (usually about 15 cm, depending on the width of the tape) and insert the tape into the resulting groove.
Separate the bed from the lawnwe can also create borders from recycled materials. The edges of tiles, glass bottles, jars, etc. look interesting. Using the bottom of plastic bottles, we can make home-made concrete casts. The border rim can also be made of a low-cut hedge, formed ground cover plants or annual flowers.
Fieldstone lawn edging
There is also away to separate the lawn from the rebate , without using any additional materials. This is calledEnglish edgeIt consists in cutting the lawn turf along the bed in such a way that a dozen or so cm deep groove separating the two spaces is created. To make the English edge, you need a special spade-knife in the shape of a crescent moon. The banks will require systematic shaping from us.
Lawn edging made of paving stones. Photo Bush
How to arrange lawn edges?
Laying the lawn edge looselyis very easy. In the following instructions, we suggesthow to make a rigid lawn edgeto make it durable and resistant to damage.
Here ishow to arrange the lawn edge step by step:
- The creation of theborder between the lawn and the rebateis started by delineating its border line. With the help of a string and stakes, we define the outline and shape of the rebate.
- According to the line marked by the string, use a spade to startseparating the lawn from the bed . To prevent the soil from flaking off during our work, cut the lawn at an angle of 45 °.
- When we mark the discount line, on the other side we cut off the opposite edge of the rim. So that the resulting groove in the cross section is a triangle. This will ensurestabilization of the rim elementsThe groove should be about 20 cm wide and about 10 cm deep. Remove the cut turf from the groove. After removing the entire turf, smooth out any unevenness.
- Pile the perimeter substructurein the aligned interior of thegroove. At the very bottom, a 3 cm layer of crushed stone is covered with sand mixed with cement.
- On the foundation prepared in this wayput the material on the edge of the lawnIt is good if the elements of the edge slightly protrude above the groove, thanks to which they create a band that prevents the bark or other bedding from falling onto the lawn . However, they must not protrude too much so that they do not interfere with mowing. When arranging individual elements, profile them vertically and horizontally and hit them with a hammer.
- Whenwe put all the rim elementsin a given section, we sprinkle them on the sides with a mixture of sand and cement. Then pour water over the whole thing. The edges arranged along the entire length of the rebates are left for 24 hours to bind.
MSc Eng. Agnieszka Lach
