Now that you’ve got your garden prepared, the next step is to prepare it so it can flourish. Edging is one of the most important gardening tasks because it helps separate your garden from the rest of the lawn and keeps plants contained within a defined space. With an edged garden, you can expect your plants to be better spaced out, with many more growing spaces available for each plant. Furthermore, an edged garden will allow for better drainage and water uptake, as well as make maintenance easier by reducing soil compaction and keeping pathways clear of debris.
What is an Edging Tool?
An edging tool is a garden tool used to create the boundary between your plants and the rest of your lawn or garden. With one, you can edge small areas, such as flower beds, or entire large gardens. Edgings can be made by hand with various tools like shovels, pruners, and rakes. They can also be done with power tools like saws and drills.
To edge your garden like a pro, we’ve found 7 of the best edging tools on the market. From hand tools like pruners and shovels to power tools like drills and saws, these are all quality edging tools for any gardener.
10 Best Garden Edging Tools – Hand Edging Tools
Examples of hand edging tools are spades, half-moon edger, stepping’ edger (lawn edger), edging shears, Wilkinson sword, garden weasel, and hand shears.
But for this post, we will consider the following:
1. Pruners/Shears
These hand-held scissors have a blade made from stainless steel that won’t rust or corrode and won’t damage plants, wood, or soil.
Garden edging shears or lawn edging shears (depending on what they are being used for) is designed to provide an accurate and clean cut along the edges of the lawn.
For example, as a lawn edging tool, lawn edging shears cut and flatten the top of the lawn. This makes them great for getting into flat areas that the mower may miss due to obstacles in the way.
2. Shovel
The next edging tool is a shovel. Shovels are great for getting into hard-to-reach places such as hills, slopes, and between plant roots.
You can also easily use it to edge a garden or flower bed in a straight line. Simply position it where you want your clean edge and step down onto it to dig out the sod.
3. Trowel/Spade
Your next option is a trowel or spade. A trowel has serrated edges that will cut through dirt and plant roots easily without leaving any harmful scratches on the ground underneath it.
These are also perfect for creating small pathways in large gardens since their wide blades can easily fit between plants and rocks without damaging them in the process.
Just like the shovel, you can use it to edge a garden by positioning it where you want your clean edge and stepping down onto it to dig out the sod.
Power Edging Tools
Some examples of power edging options include the cordless drill, lawn edger, lawn mower, brush cutter, string trimmer, rotary edger, and impact driver. But for this post, we will consider the following:
1. Drills and Saws
Saw blades make it easy for you to cut through even tough soil and create new planting areas with ease.
Saw blades can also be used on a drill in order to quickly create new planting spaces or add edging around your garden without having to carry heavy equipment around.
2. Lawn Edgers
A lawn edger is a tool designed to make neat edges with little effort on your part. You’ll have perfectly clean edges in no time, but you’ll have to deal with the noise, energy consumption, and cost that come with it.
On the market, you can find a motorized edger, an electric garden edger, and a gas-powered lawn edger.
3. Trimmers
Trimmers are small, lightweight garden edging tools that can be used to trim grass and small shrubs, especially in difficult-to-reach areas.
Brush cutters are more powerful and heavier than lawn trimmers, making them ideal for clearing overgrown grass, weeds, brambles, brushwood, small trees, small hedges, and very tall grass.
There are three main power types of grass trimmer and brushcutter: corded electric, cordless electric (also known as battery-powered) and petrol.
4. Zero-Turn Mowers
The vibration-isolated platform on the Zero-Turn Mower ensures a comfortable ride.
They also have drive wheels at the front and back, which makes them very maneuverable. This means, you are not required to lift them off the ground to use them.
5. Garden Stakes
They can be used for straight edges or curves, depending on the size and shape. Stakes also hold plants securely in place as they root into the soil, which helps to ensure even distribution of plant nutrients and moisture.
Another option is to plant flowers along their length and cut it at the top so that it forms a simple arbor with its blooms hanging over your walkway like a canopy while still providing support for your plants below its branches.
6. Picks and Spades
The Picks and Spades is a versatile edging tool that can be used in many ways. The four-inch blade on the Pick and Spade cuts through sod, roots, bark, or shrubs with ease. Not only can it cut plants, but its rounded shape also makes it suitable for digging holes.
The spade-like head of the tool gives you a good grip when you’re turning over the soil to help sustain your plant’s root systems.
The Pick and Spade feature a comfortable handle that allows for use in various gardening situations.
7. Hula Hoops and Shrink Wrap Irons
– These two tools are great for bundling and binding plants so that they can be easily moved.
– Shrink wrap irons make it easy to wrap multiple layers around your plants, and the heat from the steam will help dry the plant quicker.
– Hula hoops are another option for bundling plants with their flexible nature, making them great for more delicate plants like roses or lavender.
– You can also use these two tools to create a border around your garden bed or create a border between your garden bed and an entranceway or walkway as they both have similar uses.
– Complementary to the above edging tools is a garden hose. Hoses are a necessary part of any garden, mainly used to water plants.
They can also be used for plastic edging, which gives a peculiar plastic lawn edge trim. Use a hose to create the desired straight edge; secure with pegs if necessary, and use it as a guide for digging plant beds, creating concrete moving strips, or marking out raised beds. An old hose can be used to cushion wire ties used to stake trees.
Summary- 10 Must-have Garden Edging equipment
Edging a garden is an important step in preparing your yard and maintaining it. There are many products on the market to help you edge your garden with ease, but the ones elaborated on in this article are our recommendations:
– Hand tools: Used for precision work, hand tools give you greater control and make it easier for you to create attractive edging designs.
– Power tools: These power tools, like drills and saws, give you more versatility in terms of size and shape options. They can also be used as an alternative to hand tools if needed. Make use of these and give your garden an amazing look, whilst ensuring you have a well-maintained garden.
