Garden Edging Ideas: Shaping A Lawn With Slate Chippings

Superimposing a sharply outlined shape onto an ill-defined lawn area transforms the look of the whole plot. Geometric forms give a sharp, contemporary look but a simple circle fits any style.
Don’t worry if the space you have won’t accommodate a whole circle. A simple arc with rectangular shapes cutting in to it looks just as stylish.For larger lawns play around with different combinations – two overlapping circles for example. The trick to getting the look is to cut a precision edge.
Lawn edging strip is essential if you are mulching borders with a stone aggregate, but cutting a vertical edge, pulling back the border soil and mulching with bark also works.

You Will Need:

• Measuring tape
• Bamboo cane and string
• Sand, or can of white, line marker spray paint
• Half moon turf cutter
• Sharp border spade
• Lawn edging strip
• Fine slate chippings or decorative gravel or fine milled decorative bark

Lawn Edging Strip Step By Step:

Step 1:  Measure up

Decide on the new shape for your lawn and sketch it out on paper. To create a curve, first measure out a square with a tape measure, marking the corners.

Step 2:  Mark the circumference

Place a bamboo cane at the corner of the square opposite where your curved edge will be. Attach a string to it then pulling the string taut, mark out the edge of the circle with sand.

Step 3:  Cut out the shape

Use a half moon tool or a flat spade to cut a vertical edge following the sand line.
This separates the turf cleanly and the slot will be used later to take the edging.

Step 4:  Remove the turf

On newly laid turf, grass should peel back, but on established turf use a sharp border spade to slice through the roots, removing a generous depth of sod.

Step 5:  Add the lawn edging

Push lawn edging strip down into the slit you made previously. The edging should be fractionally below the lawn surface allowing you to mow over it easily.

Step 6:  Fill with slate

To define the shape and hide the edging, add fine slate chippings or gravel.
To protect mower blades from damage, the mulch should be just below the strip.