How to Cut & Care for Lawn Edges

Your front lawn is your home's ambassador to the outside world. And it will never properly represent the care you put into it as long as its edges are unkempt. You can mow twice weekly, fertilize and water, but those over-reaching tufts on the sidewalk and driveway will still be conspicuous. Luckily, cutting or maintaining the edge on your lawn is relatively simple. All you need are the right quality tools and an eye for precision.

Lawn edger
Spade
Hoe
Line trimmer
Lawnmower

Instructions

- 1
  Cut your lawn edge with an edging tool. Use it on the barrier between your lawn and the concrete of the sidewalk or driveway and at plant bed borders. Place the wheel of the edger on the concrete and position it so that the blade penetrates the grass roughly 1/2 inch away from the sidewalk. Then push the edger back and forth until you create a 1/2 inch gap between the driveway or sidewalk and the lawn. For garden beds without brick or paver borders, you may be better off simply using a sharp hoe or spade to slice along the edge of the garden and the lawn. Make the line as even as possible and parallel to the edge of your garden bed.
- 2
  Trim the edge of the lawn with a line trimmer as it begins to grow out. Use the tool according to the manufacturer's instructions. As you cut, hold the trimmer so that the grass is thrown on the lawn instead of the concrete or garden.
- 3
  Mow your lawn. Always trim before you mow. The lawnmower will pick up the grass clippings left behind by the lawn trimmer.

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