They live! The gardens have once again returned to the great city of Stouffville. In fact, these very gardens have been kicking around for some time now, at time of writing this article we are in the middle of a very beautiful May.
It has been a very long time since we here in Stouffville have seen a spring like this. What has become a cliche joke around these parts is that the last snowfall of the year comes around March-April, and we joke that we shouldn’t get too comfortable, as we’ll probably see yet another snowfall in June. But, not wishing to be the guy who jinxes things here, but how can we possibly even think we’re going to see another snowfall when we have all this beautiful weather?
The sun shines, and people remember what it was like to have life again. The streets of Stouffville themselves are once again brimming with life, and we’re not just talking about the people finally coming outdoors after a harsh winter. No, we’re also talking about the life that blooms every spring – the trees that once again turn green, the grass that lines the aforementioned streets of Stouffville and outside on the lawns of the aforementioned people of Stouffville. Also, who could forget about the gardens? The beautiful gardens our collective eyes are privy too. All the colours that we’re blessed with every spring – the yellows, the purples, the blues, the pinks, it’s an orgy of colour and we love every minute of it.
However, every single homeowner, landscaper and gardener out there knows how much work goes into a garden. How much sweat is put into every hour of maintaining that garden for the fleeting amount of time that it actually exists out in the world. It is truly inspiring to see, and we can’t help but thank everyone who puts so much effort into gardening every single year.
But what if say, the person who was reading this article wanted to join that group? Wanted to be one of the few every year that blesses their fellow members of their community with a great garden? Well, there would be a lot of work involved, and a lot of steps to take in order to get the best garden possible. One of those steps is garden edging. Garden edging may not seem like all that difficult of a process, but if done poorly it can mean the difference between a garden that isn’t so great versus a garden that dazzles the eye. So, today, we’re going to teach all those that want to join the hallowed halls of community gardener how this process is done, so that everyone can have a garden that dazzles the eye.
First Step: Creating or ReEdging the Bed.
The first thing one has to do before they jump into the world of garden edging is… Well, they have to know where they’re going to edge, don’t they? This is the first step in the process and the beginning of it is fairly easy. If one does not have a pre-existing bed, then all they have to do is take a garden hose and spray out an outline for one. However, if the bed already exists, than they can just jump to step two.
Second Step: The Two Methods.
Most gardeners know that there are two methods for the initial part of the edging process. Both methods are fairly simple, it’s mostly up to the way the gardener, homeowner or landscaper wishes to do the edging. Also, it involves which tool one is going to use for their edging. Let us put it this way, if one wants a decent edge, they can use method one. If they want a very nice, very precise edge, they should probably go for method two.
Method 1: This method of edging is one that the average homeowner, gardener or landscaper has most likely heard of. It involves using a traditional spade or half moon edger, so make sure that these tools are in the garage before beginning this task. All that one has to do is stick the edge of whichever tool they’ve decided to use (spade or half moon edger) around the perimeter of the bed that they’ve outlined. Once the spot that one began with has been reached, than the second step is over!
Method 2: This is the method that involves the professional edger. It’s essentially a circular blade on wheels that serves the same purpose as the spade or the half moon edger. The difference? The lines come out a lot smoother, and the whole process tends to be a lot quicker than doing it with a spade or half moon edger. Also, there’s a lot less effort involved, the professional edger tends to do a lot of the work. Keep in mind that the average homeowner or gardener isn’t going to own this tool. It can be purchased for sure, but one should know that the occasional landscaping company will own the edger. Yes, it may be more expensive, however what price can truly be paid for perfection? In our opinion, perfection has and always will be priceless.
Third Step: Refinement
Once the second step is complete, it’s all about refinement. The goal for any garden bed should be that the edge is on a 90 degree angle. Take the spade, the half moon edger or the professional edger and stab around the perimeter until everything is not only uniform all around, but also at least 90 degrees from whatever is around it.
If one started with no bed, than the grass on the inside is going to have to be removed. The average homeowner, landscaper or gardener isn’t going to want a bed full of grass. That would defeat the purpose of the edge, wouldn’t it? This grass shouldn’t be all that hard to remove, just using a spade or shovel should do the trick. Just slice across the grass – picture that it’s as if one is shaving the grass in order to get the smooth soil below.
And that’s all there is too it! Once done, one can pretty much do whatever they want with the garden bed inside. We recommend that one mulches the garden bed, but hey, it’s not our garden bed! Today we learned a lot about the art of edging. In fact, we learned about the entire process! We learned the preliminary steps one has to take – namely creating or reeding the bed. Then we learned about the different methods one can use to edge a garden bed, mostly the different tools one can use. Finally, we learned that the devil was in the details – refinement is key! Now, as per usual, all that we need to do… Is to start!
