It is time to edge those grass paths in the lottie. Over the course of a year the sides of the paths become irregular as the grass tries to colonise the veggie beds. So now it is time to break out my kit and span the string, place the cutting board down to cut along and of course the edging tool. In this first shot I have edged the full length of the path in the foreground. If you look closely on the left side, you can see the yellow guide string and further away, my little plank to cut along. Then an overview of all the paths: The thing is, what to do with the sod strips that I edged-away? Well, I will eventually chuck them into the compost dalek; however, first I flipped them over and snugged them up against the path edge. This does two things— it keeps the naked edges of the path from freezing or drying-out and in a week or so the sodding strips will be dry enough to simply whack the dried soil off the roots. Then in a related task, I raked the edges of the chip paths. The merels (blackbirds) scratch the chips out of the paths and into the flower patches while looking for worms and what not. Finally to end on a positive note: the first daff is in bud. I picked a few and took them home: I hope this joyful bouquet brightens-up you hopefuls and gives you hope that Spring is on the way.
I love this post Sjoerd. Thank you . Made my day. . Also wonderful to see how you edge and how clean and perfect it looks. Do you do that once a year? I'm familiar with an edging tool, but not a cutting board.
Daffs are a bold strong flower and color to announce the start of spring. Gorgeous…no matter how many daffs I see they always touch my heart with hopefulness, gratitude, and prayer.
A good clean edge always makes a garden look so much nicer. Well done Sjoerd! And yes, your bouquet did brighten my day!
Mel—I am well chuffed that you liked this post. It made my day to hear that it made yours. Chuckle. I usually do it once a year. Well, I just use the “cutting board” to be sure that I make my cuts straight. The string is a good guide, but it can bend or be pushed aside. I line up string and plank, place the edging tool’s blade up against the edge of the plank and push it down into the soil. Easy-peasy. Pac—Those are lofty words, but they make clear your feelings. Netty—I am so happy that the sight of those daffs brightened your day up. I hope that your snow soon melts.
Sjoerd… you’re a very clear and talented gardener …. With many skills beyond just birds and gardening. I appreciate your kind words and garden comradery. Netty so hoping to see your garden pretties soon. Mel lots of things goin on for you and your always a trooper.
I do like to see a nice tidy bit of sod! I cut all round my beds out front recently, and when I stood back to look at my efforts, they were very wiggly indeed. Zigs popped out and straightened them up for me when I wasn't looking bless him.
Ta Loggie. Tetters— Good to know Zigs has got yer 6 innit. Pac— You say the nicest things. I feel like You have been here for years.
Cheers Droopske. We have time now to take the time and do things tidy, later on as the to-do list piles up, it won’t be so nice I am afraid.
Hah! You're very welcome to come look at my garden. You'll feel much better about yours afterwards, no matter how not-nice you think it is.
Edging those paths is so satisfying. I just did this in my garden a few weeks ago. It makes such a difference in keeping everything tidy. I used a similar setup with string and a cutting board to keep my lines straight. It’s amazing how much cleaner the paths look afterward. I recently swapped some of my grass for Atlanta artificial turf in a few spots, and it’s been great. It really helps to cut down on the grass creeping into the veggie beds, plus it stays green all year round. The kids love playing on it, and it saves me a ton of time on maintenance
