How To Create Perfect Garden Bed Edges

There's nothing more satisfying than seeing a clean, clear-cut line -- especially when it's related to your garden bed. The exterior of your home is what makes a first impression on guests and potential home buyers, so it's  important to ensure that your garden beds are in tip-top shape during the warmer months here in Rhode Island. Contrary to popular belief, creating the perfectly edged garden beds you see in magazines is easier to achieve than you might think.

Creating Bed and Border Edges

Before you begin to get your hands dirty, you should first lay out the new edge for your garden beds or borders. It is recommended that your edges don't stray too far from your plants, shrubs and flowers. Having an edge too far away from the plants will create an empty appearance -- and we want to make sure your garden looks full and healthy! If the edge is crowding the flowers, shrubs and plants, then it will be difficult to apply the proper amount of mulch.Step 1: Pick up a spade from your local hardware store and dig the tip of the shovel into the soil where you've set your garden bed perimeter. We recommend making a 1.5 to 2 inch deep impression to make sure you get that perfect edge look. Carefully work your way along the line until completed.Step 2: After establishing your edge and you like the look of it. Go over the edges once again with your spade and cut down a few more inches, making the total depth of about 4 inches. Make sure you are cutting at a 90 degree angle (perpendicular to the grass) and that you are uprooting the turf and removing it by hand. If you're creating a new garden bed, you'll need to remove the grass within the edging.Step 3. For those who like particularly defined garden bed edges, our landscaping and hardscaping company recommends taking hand-held sheers to the edges and cutting any stray blades of grass for that crisp, freshly cut look. Note that you may need to do this repeatedly throughout the season to ensure that your edges look sharp.Step 4: After planting any new flowers, shrubs or plants, it's mulch time! Choose whichever color mulch you like and apply 2-3 inches of it and be sure to distribute it evenly throughout the garden bed. Mulch works to prevent weeds from sprouting and gives your plants vital nutrients it needs to ensure throughout the growing season. If you want to make your edges more pronounced, then try tapering off the amount of mulch used when you come within a few inches of the garden edge.Finally, step back and enjoy your beautiful new garden beds! Keep in mind that the entire project -- depending on the size of your property and the intricacy of your garden beds -- could take up to a week or sometimes longer if you are starting a new garden bed entirely. Professional landscaping companies in Newport and Portsmouth RI can make this process much easier, and you can rest assured that the look will be exactly how you wanted it. For a free landscape design and installation estimate, contact Premier Landscape today!