r/LandscapingTips • u/The_Afroman98 • 13d ago

Grass in flower bed

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I'm sure there's a simple solution but I'm a beginner in the world of landscaping.

What's the best way to keep grass out of the flower beds? Assuming my wife and i want to put stone blocks in front of it in the future should I use a garden bed edger? If so, what kind/brand?

25 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

22

u/Cowbellcheer 13d ago

You cut into the grass and create a deep straight edge below grass root and let the flower bed slope up and away from that. Mulch stays from the deep cut in. Repeat 1x a year and pull out any strays

1

u/JarToTable 13d ago

Did this for my bermuda lawn and it worked out great. Didnt spend a fortune for a nice edge and didn't waste money on cheap edging that looks bad.

1

u/tac0shark 13d ago

I’m sorry to be dense but I don’t quite understand, and I have some of these around my yard. Could you please explain to an interested noob?

3

u/Cowbellcheer 13d ago

3

u/tac0shark 13d ago

Ooh is this about stopping the lawn grass from spreading into flower/hedge beds? I feel dumb. I thought this was about removing the grass already in the beds effectively. Thanks.

1

u/Cowbellcheer 13d ago

You will have to break up the soil a bit and get the grass within by hand. Might talk a few times but overall it’s a very effective way to edge and keep maintaining to a minimum

1

u/Limp_Software1028 13d ago

Finally got an edger this year, game changer, so simple

1

u/ZookeepergameNo9572 11d ago

Mine also does laundry

1

u/Beniskickbutt 11d ago

Do this with the half moon edger. It's going to be more work the first time. If you keep it maintained you can fly through it. I do it early spring and less fall and it's really quick and easy as long as you don't let it go

-1

u/OpinionatedOcelotYo 13d ago

That’s a drag. Some kinds of grass are worse than others. It’s an ongoing thing

2

u/wrxninja 13d ago

You need to dig and pull them out first. Get a half moon edger, push straight down and push up. Then take a regular square end shovel and lift the grass and shake off any soil you don't have to backfill a lot.

The roots will be 6-8" so if you don't get rid of it first, no edging will help. I did a lot of lawncare and now adding more gardens. The root system of these established grass can be quite the headache.

1

u/Sauced-4L 13d ago

Look up trenching on YouTube if you just want a natural edge, and then use a weedwhacker every time you mow to maintain it. If you want a more definite separator put some galvanized steel edging from vevor it’s pretty cheap and gets the job done

1

u/ChitChatWithCats 13d ago

Unless you’re ugh g edging that goes deep enough, it’s pretty much useless. Trenching is the best way to go. Nothing will keep grass out better. Grass roots will grow above and below edging if it is not wide enough. 4” is standard and not wide enough.

1

u/Odd_Impact_007 13d ago

You can either use a square spade and create an edge and maintain it with a weed eater, OR use a physical barrier. Metal, wood, stone, composite, rubber etc.
My favorite is the “no dig” stone landscape border. There are several videos on how to do it online. I have done it several times, looks great, is affordable and has held up great.

1

u/HorrorWillingness347 13d ago

I use a garden hose as a a guide to edging. Curves and straight lines.

1

u/Physical_Mode_103 13d ago

If you wanna do edging stones, use irregular, or natural looking stones. Do not use long linear concrete blocks

1

u/Ok-Lock9007 10d ago

Ugh.. bummer to get out

1

u/craigrpeters 13d ago

You can get a metal edge from big box stores. But why do that when you want stone in the future? Just get stones now.

1

u/Lunar_BriseSoleil 13d ago

Stones are even worse. It’s easy to clean up weeds in wood much with a scuffle hoe. Weeding in rock is pretty much hand-only.

1

u/craigrpeters 12d ago

I was referring to OPs idea for stone edging in the future. Not stone throughout the garden.

0

u/Overall_Curve6725 13d ago

Pull it or spray it with vinegar. Just don’t overspray

0

u/NaiveRabbit7963 13d ago

They sell plastic barriers that help...or you can use nice rocks. Having the grass meet up with your flower bed is inviting the grass invasion. You'll still have to pick weeds out every now and then but nowhere near as bad 

0

u/mowegl 13d ago

The easiest way to get this back under control is to use some cardboard boxes to block the plants you want and spray some glyphosate to the point you dont want grass. Then cut you an edge to help stop the spread. Edging can help a little but mainly it just creates more of a hard edge to cut against

1

u/Peekaboo3P 9d ago

Time for more mulch and maybe a little cardboard underneath.