Taking care of your lawn requires a lot more than simply mowing. Having a few extra tools in the shed comes in handy to tackle those additional tasks. Edging is one main element to keeping a tidy lawn, and having a tool to edge your lawn really makes the difference between a shaggy lawn and a well-manicured garden. So, what are the actual benefits of edging your lawn? Well, there’s quite a long list. Let’s take a look.
Main Benefits of Edging the Lawn (The Short Answer)
To edge your lawn, you can use a string trimmer or an edger. Either of these garden tools will create a nice and clean cut between your lawn and the surrounding area, such as flower beds and driveways. The benefits of edging your lawn can include the following items:
- Increases Curb Appeal
- Stops Your Lawn from Spreading
- Keeps the Weeds Back
- Reduces Maintenance
- Eliminates the Need for Landscape Edging Products
- Keeping Up with HOA & City Requirements
Why Edge Your Lawn? (6 Big Benefits)
If you’re still on the fence when it comes to edging, here are a few examples that will help you understand why you should edge your lawn regularly. Here are 6 reasons why I think edging is so important.
Increases Curb Appeal
The first thing you’ll notice about a lawn that has been edged is that it looks great and definitely stands out compared to those that haven’t. When I take a walk around my neighborhood and look at the different houses, those that have been edged always look the best.
Edging is the cherry on the cake. So, if you think something is missing from your property when you step back and look, then it could be because the lawn hasn’t been edged.
Stops Your Lawn from Spreading
If you’re not already edging, then your lawn probably spreads out into your flower beds and over your driveway. If you have a lawn with runners like St. Augustine, you know the lawn can spread pretty quickly into areas other than your lawn. Cutting these runners with an edger stops your lawn from becoming unruly and from taking over your yard.
If you’re having a problem with your flower beds in particular, I wrote a whole post on how to prevent grass from growing in flower beds.
Keeps the Weeds Back
We all have to deal with weeds in our flower beds at some point, especially during the rainy season when weeds tend to grow like crazy. Edging can actually keep them at bay and stop them from spreading into your lawn.
So, edging not only edges back your lawn, but the process also stops plants, including weeds in your beds, from growing into your lawn. The edger is a great way to keep the grass in the lawn and plants in the beds.
Reduces Maintenance
Now, if you don’t use an edger, you’ll end up having to do more work. I have neighbors down the street that used to spend hours on their knees pulling grass out of the flower beds because they didn’t have an edger.
After a quick conversation with them to explain that there is a much easier way to take care of the edge of their lawn, they now have an edger. They told me that pulling out runners around their lawn used to take hours, but now they do it in one 5 minute lap around the yard with an edger.
Eliminates the Need for Landscape Edging Products
There are other options for keeping your grass out of the flower beds, but these all come at a cost. Produces like concrete curbs and rubber edgings have a pretty hefty price tag. Plus, they don’t always compliment the look of your yard. So, having an edging tool in your shed can keep your lawn looking great and keep your money in your pocket.
Keeping Up with HOA & City Requirements
Depending on where you live, you might have some local rules regarding the care of your yard. You know, those HOA rules specifying you must take care of your yard to a certain standard on a regular basis. So, a lawn edger will make quick and easy work to keep up with regulations and keep the violation notices out of your mailbox.
How to Edge Your Lawn
Lawn edgers come in all different shapes and sizes. If you’re considering adding edging to your lawn maintenance routine, you have more options than the standard handheld edgers. Here are some options you will find at your local gardening center.
- Handheld Edgers
- Walk-Behind Edgers
- Handheld String Trimmer
- Edging Spades
- Edging Sheers
- Lawn Mower Edger Attachment
When to Edge Your Lawn
So, you have looked at the benefits of edging the lawn and what tools you can use. But when should you edge your lawn? Well, I edge my lawn at two different times. The first is every time I cut my lawn. The second is during times when my lawn doesn’t need a cut. Let me explain.
Edging When Mowing
If it is time to mow my lawn, I first head out with my edger and weed whacker. I start by whacking all those areas my lawn mower can’t reach. Then, I edge all the edges of my lawn, including flower beds, the driveway, the patio in the back of my garden, and finally, the sidewalk that runs across the front of my property. Edging is something I make sure I do every time I pull out my lawn mower.
Edging When Not Mowing
There are certain times in the year when my lawn doesn’t need to be cut every week, like during early spring, late fall, and during winter. But just because the grass doesn’t grow tall enough for a cut, it still grows enough to make my edges look a bit messy. So, my edging isn’t limited to the days I mow my lawn.
I find that edging by itself without mowing can make a big difference and is one way to help the lawn look good for longer during the year. Plus, it keeps other plants firmly in the flower beds and away from my lawn.
Are There Any Downsides to Lawn Edging?
There aren’t really any downsides to lawn edging if you edge safely and are careful with what you are doing. If you get a bit careless, you could end up catapulting rocks into windows, cutting through irrigation pipes, and taking chunks out of the edge of your driveway. So, if you take your time and are careful, you’ll only get the benefits of edging your lawn, not the downsides.
